


To Paint Each Other Gold

by lesbijkas



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Falling In Love, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, got a bit out of hand. as usual., it's long. it's mushy. the hedric fic y'all have been promised., what else is there to say lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-25 16:14:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18578017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbijkas/pseuds/lesbijkas
Summary: Harry plastered another smile on his face. Cedric put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. Harry melted.Or: love will always get its way; for patience it knows, and what a strength that is.





	To Paint Each Other Gold

 

        The carriage of the train remained silent after Draco Malfoy had left, laughing about _Weasley_ being a prefect over _Potter_ , something akin to tension in the air. Luna seemed to be exempt from it, reading her magazine without a care, while Neville tried to ignore it by digging around in his trunk for something.

        Hermione still remained skeptical about Luna’s reading material, and Ron didn’t know what to say to Harry to make the situation any better, so he too remained silent hoping for Hermione to say something first. She didn’t.

        Harry could only inaudibly sigh, watching land outside of the train flash by in a blur of green and blue, Sirius’ hug echoing over his skin. The two-way mirror he had been gifted rested heavily in his pocket, another memory that belonged not only to Sirius but his father too. Would James have given Harry a mirror to call home with? Would Lily call him the first night back to make sure he had gotten to Hogwarts safely? Would Harry have treasured that mirror as he did now?

        His head made a ‘thunk’ against the glass, cold and hard, as his eyes slipped shut. Harry didn’t want to think about any of that; he had enough to worry about as it was, the whole incident with the dementors and Ministry hearing notwithstanding. Voldemort was back. The only ones outside of his friends who seemed to believe him were Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. The wizarding world at large was calling him a liar, bonkers, an attention seeking child that needed to be reprimanded. That didn’t even begin to cover what they thought of Dumbledore.

        Or Cedric.

        Harry’s heart threatened to beat out of his throat when he thought of Cedric Diggory. He hadn’t seen Cedric since the end of the third task, right before Harry was “taken to the hospital wing” by Barty Crouch Jr, then under the guise of Alastor Moody. Cedric’s father, Amos, had been holding Cedric by the shoulders with urgency on his face, Cedric’s mother looking beyond worried as Cedric tried to respond.

        They had taken Cedric home before the end of the year. Harry had no idea what Cedric had or had not seen. He hadn’t worked up the nerve to send Cedric a letter during the summer either; every time he sat down to do it, to ask how Cedric was doing or even say sorry, he would remember the feelings of gut-wrenching terror when he thought Cedric was dead- the feel of rope pulled tight against his body, blood dripping down his arm, bright red eyes burning as cold fingers brushed against his cheeks, burning, burning, _burning_ \- his scar aflame.

        Pettigrew hadn’t been able to kill Cedric though. He hadn’t managed to fire a killing curse. Cedric had gone down to the ground, immobile as he could only listen and watch as Voldemort reformed from a bubbling cauldron and Death Eaters surrounded the scaled megalomaniac in reverence. Cedric had helped Harry in their escape, putting up a shield as Harry let his spell drop, the golden dome and his parents holding Voldemort back.

        They escaped together as they had arrived, portkey whisking them back to Hogwarts in a flurry of color.

        The pain and maelstrom of emotions Harry had gone through haunted his dreams almost every night, nightmares being a more apt name. In his mind, late at night as he tossed and turned in bed, Cedric would die and Voldemort would win their duel. Harry would be on the brink of death, the surrounding robed figures laughing seeming to grow in size and Voldemort loomed over his prone figure, teeth sharpening into a wide smile as a pale hand pointed an even paler wand, green striking out to finally end it all.

        Harry would wake up with a scream, sweat drenching his face and chest as he tried not to break out into withering sobs. He didn’t know what was worse, dying by Voldemort’s hand in his dreams or waking up to find his heart beating, eyes watering, utterly alone.

        “- besides, it’s not as if Malfoy deserves a prefect badge anyways. Neither does Parkinson, in all bloody honesty-”

        Harry blinked, turning his head slightly to listen to the conversation that had begun while he was lost in thought. Ron was in mid-rant at Hermione and Neville, his hands waving in the air with his cheeks bright in color. Hermione appeared to be nodding along, Neville more contemplative.

        “Who else would Professor Snape pick to be fifth-year prefects in Slytherin though?” Neville asked as Ron took in a breath to continue.

        Ron was lost for words at that question.

        “I think Daphne would have made a good choice as prefect. And maybe Blaise, he picked up a book I dropped once and gave it back to me,” Luna chimed in, looking up from her magazine with a small smile.

        “Who’s Daphne?” Hermione asked.

        “Why, Daphne Greengrass of course. She is in your year in Slytherin,” Luna looked around to see only blank looks from the others. “She has blonde hair and is most often seen with Millicent Bulstrode or her younger sister Astoria. Her mother and my father used to be close when they were in school I think.”

        Recognition finally made its way to Hermione’s eyes, “Oh! I’ve seen her before- aren’t she and Draco also together?”

        “Wait, what- how do you know that?” Ron asked, bewildered.

        “They danced at the Yule Ball last year quite a lot.”

        Luna hummed, her head tilting to the side as she turned to another page, “I don’t think so. I think their parents might be putting together a marriage contract, but there are quite a few purebloods who want their daughter to marry Draco.”

        “Wait, wizards still do marriage contracts?”

        Ron nodded at Hermione’s question, a snort soon following, “Yeah, but only the stuck-up ponces like Malfoy do it anymore. That’s another reason why Andromeda was cut out of the Black family. She married a muggleborn but she also didn’t stick to the contract her parents made for her to marry into another pureblood line. Did Si- Padfoot tell you anything about that Harry?”

        Harry blinked heavily as all eyes finally turned on him, dragging him out of his miniature self imposed isolation. “He mentioned it, also said his parents never even arranged a contract for him since he was sorted into Gryffindor. I think his brother might have had one at one point, but he didn’t go into detail about it.”

        “What’s a pad foot?” Neville asked, looking and sounding confused.

        Harry was saved from having to say anything else as a knock on the compartment door sounded. Luna, who was sitting closest to the door, slid it open to reveal Cedric Diggory, the head boy badge pinned over his school robes.

        “Oh, sorry, I was wondering if I could speak to Harry for a few moments?” his eyes darted over to Harry in question, expression going somewhat sheepish.

        “That’s fine. I’ll be back in a bit guys,” Harry stood up on stiff legs, shuffling passed the others out into the hallway of the train. Cedric closed the door again before walking a few feet away from it, to not be overheard or to make sure the others could get out if they wanted to remained a mystery to Harry.

        They stood leaning on opposite sides of the narrow walkway, the silence stifling. Harry opened his mouth the same time Cedric did, so neither said anything. Cedric had an odd smile come to his face, quiet laughter shaking his shoulders.

        “You first,” he motioned to Harry, laughter quieting.

        Harry’s stomach did a flip as kind eyes looked into his own. It was a good sign; Cedric probably didn’t think he was crazy. Right?

        “Are you all right? I didn’t get a chance to say anything after everything.”

        “I’m fine. My father and mother wanted me home after, well, you know. Professor Moody took you to the hospital wing, right? Mum took me to St. Mungo’s an hour after we got home to make sure nothing was wrong, but you had a lot more injuries than I did.”

        “Well, Crouch took me to his office- I know this hasn’t been publicized or anything, but Professor Moody wasn’t actually Moody last year, it was Barty Crouch Jr. He supposedly died in Azkaban years ago but his father actually used polyjuice to switch him out with his mother before she died. He kept his son under the imperious curse until he broke out sometime before the world cup, and he was a part of the plan to revive Voldemort. He put my name in the cup, he made it so I wouldn’t die in the tasks so I’d make it to the cup, and he’s also the reason Krum and Fleur acted the way they did in the maze-”

        “Sweet Merlin,” Harry stopped talking to take in Cedric’s pale face and shaking hands.

        Harry stayed quiet as Cedric took in everything, hands coming up to rub at his eyes. They kept shaking, breaths coming out in short gasps. His knees bent minutely, his whole body shuddering once, then twice, before they buckled completely. Cedric sunk to the floor in panic, hands grasping at anything. He wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ , stop shaking.

        Harry quickly crouched down, worried as he reached a hand forwards towards Cedric. He paused a few inches away only for his palm to be gripped tightly by Cedric, Cedric’s shaking still not subsiding.

        “You- we- he almost killed us-” Cedric gulped down a breath, terror sounding in every word he spoke, “You almost died. I almost died. V-Voldemort, Voldemort tried to kill us.”

        “He did.”

        Cedric looked like he was going to vomit.

        “How can you be so, so calm about this?”

        “There’s a difference between calm and exhausted,” Harry told him plainly, giving the hand in his own a squeeze.

        And it was the truth. With almost constant nightmares Harry rarely ever felt rested anymore, because when he did manage to sleep it was never for long. Bags had grown under his eyes and slowness practically seeped into his bones unless he had adrenaline to keep him going.

        “I’m, fuck, I’m sorry. I get nightmares too- it was, is, terrifying. I keep hearing him whisper bow to death to you, and, and then when we try to escape it’s blocked off and he tortures us. And it hurts, it hurts so much and there isn’t a way to escape-” Cedric cut himself off, expression getting distant as he was lost in memories.

        They sat on the floor of the hallway in silence, Cedric’s hand not leaving Harry’s even as he finally stilled. An unknown amount of time passed, the train’s wheels clicking along as the sun moved along the sky. Harry was surprised no one in his compartment had come to find him yet, but maybe they knew he and Cedric had to do this.

        “My parents, they wouldn’t let me try to defend you. My dad doesn’t want to believe he’s back and while my mum believes me, she doesn’t want me getting grouped with you and Headmaster Dumbledore,” Cedric finally spoke again, sounding sorry.

        “I get why they wouldn’t want you to say anything,” and Harry did, no parent would want their child branded as crazy by the majority of the populace, “Don’t worry about it too much.”

        Cedric’s brows furrowed together as he finally gave Harry’s hand a squeeze back.

        “I guess I wanted to make sure you were coping, and I want you to know you can talk to me if you need to, all right? I know we don’t know each other too well or anything, but I was there and I know I need someone to talk to about it sometimes,” Cedric finally confessed, his shoulders finally slumping in apparent relief. “I didn’t believe you last year when you told me you didn’t put your name in the cup, not at first, but I believe you now. You don’t lie about this stuff, it’s not a game. So, I am also sorry for what I did before.”

        Harry didn’t know what to say to that. Cedric was right of course, he and Harry had never spoken all too often in the past. He was also right about having a confidant because Cedric had been there and he had seen what happened. He knew. He understood.

        “You already apologized once, but, thanks.”

        “You’re welcome,” and with that, Cedric finally let Harry’s hand go.

        The silence didn’t stretch so long this time before Cedric stood up, offering a hand out to help Harry up, despite his legs still seeming shaky. Harry accepted, being quickly hauled back up to his feet.

        Harry moved to go back to his compartment, shooting a small smile in Cedric’s direction.

        “Good luck with the head boy gig.”

        “Thanks, and Harry?”

        Harry paused. Cedric smiled back.

        “Keep your chin up.”

        …

        It was cliche, to be brooding at the top of the astronomy tower, but Harry didn’t know where else to go. He was so angry. Sorrowful. Dispassionate. It was a paradox in of itself. He was angry at Dumbledore, for hiding the truth from him. At Snape, not only because he was Snape, but because he had acted as if he hadn’t known what Harry was talking about when telling him Sirius was in trouble. At Kreacher for lying to him. At Bellatrix, because she killed Sirius. At himself. He fell for Voldemort’s trap, hook, line, and sinker.

        Sirius was dead. As angry as Harry was, no matter how many tears fell from his eyes, he knew deep down that he had no one to blame but himself. He had rushed off to the Ministry without thinking, without telling any adult, without alerting the order.

        Harry shifted on the floor, not even bothering to stop the newest bout of crying as he could clearly picture Sirius’ body falling back through the veil. The memory was constantly at the forefront of his mind, recurring in his dreams every night and replaying every time he closed his eyes.

        He pressed his face against his knees, knuckles going white as he clenched his hands into fists.

        Sirius was dead. Sirius was gone. It was all Harry’s fault. Sirius was dead.

        Harry finally let out a sob because it just wasn’t fair. He never got to ask Sirius more questions about his parents, never got to ask him about the tattoos, never found out what it would be like to live with him during the summer proper, and never got to say goodbye. He never would.

        Because Sirius was dead.

        Harry stilled for a moment, trying to remain silent as he heard footsteps coming from the stairwell. Someone was coming up to the tower. He felt panic rise in his chest. It was dinner time on a Friday; no one should be coming up here because they would all be eating.

        He held his breath, watching as light brown hair came over the lip of the floor, a determined expression to accompany it.

        It was Cedric.

        Their eyes met for a split second before Harry broke the contact, still unable to stop his tears from running over his cheeks to his chin. Cedric didn’t say anything as he walked over to Harry’s curled up form, simply choosing to sit down next to the other while he twirled his wand in his fingers absentmindedly.

        The silence dragged. Harry would sniff every dozen seconds or so, eyes growing puffy and red as he kept rubbing them.

        “Everyone is worried.”

        Harry’s head snapped up to face Cedric again.

        “You rarely come to meals, you’re absent, both figuratively and literally, during your classes, and you don’t talk to anyone. The twins sent me a letter, they’ve been speaking with Ron, Hermione, and Neville because they don’t know what to say to you or how to say it,” it was said in a quiet tone of voice, words unrushed, almost lethargic, “But they don’t want to sit back and watch you wither away into nothing.”

        Harry swallowed the lump in his throat.

        “Look, I don’t know what happened in the Department of Mysteries. No one really does and those that do aren’t saying anything because _you_ haven’t said anything. Voldemort is back, and now everyone believes it; but there is more to this whole situation than that,” Cedric stopped speaking for a moment to reach out and rest a hand on Harry’s knee.

        A scar was on the top of Cedric’s hand, the same hand as Harry’s, reading _‘I must not challenge authority’_ rather than _‘I must not tell lies.’_ Harry stared at the red-rimmed flesh, a tinge of pain ghosting up his arm.

        “You need to talk. It doesn’t have to be to me, but you’re tearing yourself up over this. Speak to your head of house, your friends, hell even the headmaster-”

        “I have nothing to say to him right now,” Harry interrupted the other before he could continue, words angry. “He lied to me, he lied to me since I came into the wizarding world. I will not talk to him.”

        Cedric’s eyebrows furrowed together, his hand curling where it rested over Harry’s leg.

        “What did he lie about?”

        Harry swallowed again. He knew he didn’t have to tell Cedric. He and Cedric weren’t even that close. Sure, Cedric had joined the DA and they had dueled and spoken because of that throughout the year, and they had spoken out against Umbridge despite Cedric’s parents’ wishes, but other than that both had major tests to worry about and their own lives in general. Still, it wasn’t as if they were complete strangers. And Cedric had known the truth since the beginning.

        He had been there when Voldemort was resurrected. He had supported Harry in his own way the whole year.

        “He knew that I was the chosen one to defeat Voldemort since I was a baby and he never told me, even when I asked him why Voldemort would be so interested in me years ago,” Harry finally told him after a long pause, ignoring how Cedric flinched ever so slightly at Voldemort’s name. “If I had known, it would have been different. I would have been stronger. I would have saved Sirius. He wouldn’t be dead. I wouldn’t be a failure.”

        “Sirius… wait, Sirius Black? Didn’t he try to kill you?”

        And what was Harry supposed to say to that? He let out a choked up laugh, a crooked smile forcing its way onto his face. He took his glasses off to wipe harshly at his eyes with the back of his hand, laugh after broken laugh lighting up the air.

        “Sirius Black is- was, my godfather. He was framed in 1981; he never betrayed my parents.”

        Cedric’s eyes widened in such genuine shock that Harry laughed even harder. Cedric’s wand fell to the stone floor with a clatter.

        “W- how do you know that? Did he tell you? Did you stay in contact with him after your third year? Does anyone else know?”

        “A whole lot of people knew,” Harry paused, laughter finally fading, “Even Snape.”

        “How does Professor Snape factor into this? Sorry, this is confusing.”

        “It doesn’t really matter, look; Sirius was the closest thing I had to my parents. We didn’t get to talk too often, and I only got to see him face to face a few times, but he wasn’t a bad man. He was my dad’s best friend, Professor Lupin’s too. He gave me my firebolt, told me about my parents, wanted to be my family- I’ve never had a family Cedric, not really. And now I’m even farther from getting one than before.”

        Silence hung in the air for a moment as Cedric gave Harry’s leg a firm squeeze before it fell to the floor silently.

        “Did… Voldemort kill him?” he finally asked.

        “No. He didn’t, and, you know, I kind of wish he had. Might have made things easier. It was Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius’ cousin who escaped from Azkaban back at the beginning of the school year when the Ministry was still trying to brush all of Voldemort’s actions under the rug.”

        Harry turned his body so he faced Cedric, much like they had on the train at the beginning of the year. His cheeks remained blotched with color from his crying, and he couldn’t see Cedric’s face clearly because his glasses were still resting on the ground, but it felt so much better to get everything off his chest.

        “I ran after her into the atrium. Before Voldemort showed up, I tried to cast an unforgivable on her, the cruciatus curse, but I couldn't. I hated her so much in that moment for taking Sirius away from me, but I still couldn't make her feel pain, make her regret killing him.”

        He could still feel the anger, the bitter hatred, burning in his heart for Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry swallowed again, not wanting to suffer through another wave of tears. He had cried enough, hadn’t he?

        “She’s to blame then.”

        Harry blinked, lifting his eyes up to meet Cedric’s head on. Cedric’s hair was only a blob of light brown, his robes dark grey with a splash of gold where his head boy badge rested pinned over his heart. Harry couldn’t see his expression, but his tone of voice was solemn.

        “What?”

        “I mean, you’re clearly blaming yourself for this, but it isn’t your fault. Yes, you rushed off to the Ministry, and Sirius was there, but the only person to blame for his death is the person who killed him,” and then Cedric smiled, sorrow displayed in his eyes. “Mourn him, you have every right to, but do not blame yourself for his death. It’ll kill you inside if you do.”

        After that, silence fell over the tower once again. Harry shifted again so he was facing the way he had been before, towards the window, his glasses eventually finding their way back onto his face. Cedric’s wand migrated back into his hand, then into his robe pocket.

        Time passed.

        The sun began to set.

        Harry’s left leg was asleep from the position he was in by the time Cedric stood up, extending a hand to Harry who was still on the ground as if to help him. Harry took the offered hand, déjà vu an echo of a thought, as he was pulled upwards.

        Harry only stumbled once on the way down the stairs, Cedric’s hand immediately going to his shoulder to steady him. They left the astronomy tower behind as night fell, a new friendship beginning.

        “Thanks Cedric.”

        “Don’t worry about it, you did teach me the patronus charm after all.”

        It was spoken with a soft smile, with soft eyes, with something Harry felt warming his heart.

        “What animal do you have?”

        But Cedric’s smile only widened.

        “Maybe you’ll find out someday.”

        And Harry could only stand dumbly in the hallway as Cedric walked away, a waving hand thrown over his shoulder in farewell.

        …

_Harry,_

_I don’t even know how to start this letter. Asking if you are feeling well or doing well seems rather redundant._ _I mean_

_Look, this isn’t the end. It may be bleak, and a lot of things are looking dreadful right now; I’ve heard of, and seen, so many people already giving up hope. Just know it’s not your fault. You are bound to blame yourself for the headmaster’s death, but don’t. Please don’t._

_I don’t know what you’re going to be doing for the rest of the summer. Hogwarts is closed, and there are whispers of the Ministry falling soon. My mother is growing more terrified as the days pass. I think her and my father are speaking of fleeing the country until all of this blows over, as if that’s a possibility. I know I can’t leave, not when everything is falling apart._

_If you need someone to talk to, for whatever reason, I’ll be here. Stay safe Harry._

_Cedric_

        …

        It was over. It was all finally over. The horcrux in his head was gone. Voldemort, Tom Riddle, lay dead on Hogwarts’ ground, his face twisted in anguish and hatred even then. Harry felt his limbs go cold, his mind fuzz over, his vision wavering because it was all over.

        He had died and he had come back and he was _free-_

        “Harry!”

        Harry blinked, turning towards the direction of whoever was yelling out to him. He saw Cedric, blood-spattered Cedric with sweat-slicked hair and torn clothes, racing towards him as though their very lives depended on it.

        Remus was dead and Sirius was dead; Tonks, Moody, Dumbledore, even Snape, but he reopened his eyes to end all of it. Stop it all.

        Harry’s legs buckled when Cedric was only a few feet away. He had expected Hermione or Ron to come running, even Ginny or one of the adults, not Cedric Diggory who Harry hadn’t actually seen in person since the end of his fifth year, since warm hands had pressed against his back as he cried out for his godfather who died too soon.

        It was as it was now, calloused hands gripping Harry’s shoulders while worried searching eyes tried to break Harry out of whatever trance he was in.

        Dead, he should be dead. He should have joined the others in death, but he was alive. His heart was beating and his pulse was racing; Voldemort was dead and Cedric held Harry’s body to his own while they sat on torn earth together, shadows moving as the sun rose higher in the sky.

        It was a new day. Voldemort was finally dead.

        Harry was alive.

        “-rry, Harry; can you hear me? Can you focus on my voice?”

        Harry blinked rapidly, his vision clearing. His breaths were shallow, as if he were about to hyperventilate, as if he had been and hadn’t noticed. His pulse fluttered weakly under Cedric’s fingertips. Two fingers were pressed against thin skin on a thin wrist. Harry blinked again.

        “Are you hurt anywhere?”

        He finally focused on Cedric, the ringing in his ears seeming to dim, “No, I’m fine.”

        A lie, one that was clearly unconvincing.

        “Harry,” but Cedric stopped, swallowing, allowing his hand to drop from Harry’s wrist only for his arms to encircle Harry with a tight hug, Harry’s face being pressed against Cedric’s shoulder. “You’re alive, you’re actually alive. I thought- we all thought-”

        Cedric tensed, his voice thick, shoulders trembling minutely as if he didn’t want to cry. Harry let a shaking hand come up to grip the back of Cedric’s shirt, closing his eyes and allowing himself to feel this, _enjoy_ this.

        “I thought so too.”

        Cedric didn’t move.

        “What happened?”

        “Voldemort killed me, and I was at King’s Cross. One moment I was dead, the next I was alive; Narcissa Malfoy lied to Voldemort’s face and said I was dead. He bought it.”

        Silence fell between them, a swell of noise sounding distant from where they were.

        “I killed him.”

        Harry finally allowed tears to fall. He died. He died. He walked to his death and he had died.

        Cedric’s arms tightened. Harry was practically in Cedric’s lap. They didn’t care. Harry didn’t care because while he had died he was alive again; he could feel the fabric of Cedric’s shirt in between his fingers and the cold seeping into his legs from the ground. He could feel his heart beat in his throat. Feel the relief and the terror of everything because Voldemort was dead. He was free. They were all free.

        “I killed him.”

        And Cedric let a broken smile come to his lips before replying, “And with his death, you’ve saved us all.”

        …

        Harry found himself reaching for his ever crumpled shopping list he’d stuffed into his back pocket. He glanced over the messy scrawl from that morning, noting he almost forgot to pick up some bread for sandwiches. Again.

        He could only mentally slap himself, doubling back the way he’d already come to grab some, as well as carrots and potatoes for a new soup recipe Mrs. Weasley had given him. He’d love to make his own bread, Mrs. Weasley had also shown him how to do that, but he had practically no time in between his part-time job at a book restoration shop tucked back near Knockturn Alley, watching Teddy, and attending minute Ministry functions he was dragged to week after week by some department or another.

        If Harry never had to be stuck in an overly-full Ministry lift with whose occupants all simply had to shake his hand- _Mister Potter, I’d have worn something better- you’re looking much healthier than in that last photo from the Daily- are those new glasses- would it be possible for you to attend-_ and on and on and on, it’d be much too soon.

        The bread available was subpar, but some was better than none. He picked out a rounded loaf of rye bread and handed over a few knuts to the baker, telling her to keep the change while ignoring her star-struck eyes. Harry wished people would stop with the staring and hero worship, it was unsettling and made going out into public more trouble than it was worth.

        He soon enough found himself with potatoes and carrots, pausing at a stall selling blankets, scarves, and small stuffed animals made from yarn. There was a soft pink elephant with blue button eyes that had caught his attention, the desire to buy it for Teddy growing stronger by the second.

        The thoughts of his godson made Harry’s heart soar. He adored Teddy. Every time he visited Andromeda to see the toddler, he’d find himself melting as Teddy’s eyes changed colors to match his. Teddy was already two years old, up and moving, talking rapidly as he learned new words every day. Andromeda had even joked she had a hard time keeping up, but it was worrying. (Sometimes, Harry thought there was more to it than a simple joke, but Andromeda hadn’t said anything beyond a sensitivity for headaches. He hoped she got better soon.)

        His mind already made up, Harry reached into his pocket for his coin pouch, only to freeze when a hand landed on his right shoulder giving it a squeeze. Harry tensed, heart racing to a stop as he quickly flinched, ducked down, and kicked on instinct to get whoever had tried to grab him away.

        There was a loud crash, shocked voices, and a few thumps as shopping bags fell to the ground and Harry backed away right into the table he’d been viewing stuffed animals on only a few seconds prior. His wand was clenched in his fist, without even a thought to how it got there, his whole body shaking. Tunneled vision. Blood rushing.

        The people around him had soon pulled their wands out once they realized who he was, all of them now looking at the man on the ground rubbing his leg with his hands. He didn’t seem to be concerned despite having multiple wands pointed in his direction.

        “Jeez Harry, you’re really giving me a work out even before we speak,” and with that sentence, Harry knew who he had kicked.

        His face flushed in embarrassment.

        “Cedric- oh Merlin, I’m so sorry-”

        “No reason to apologize, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that,” it was said with calmness, Cedric moving to stand up.

        Harry scrambled forward, shoving his wand back into its holster to give Cedric a hand. He accepted it, giving Harry’s hand a firm squeeze once he was standing, ignoring the slowly dissipating crowd to pick up the two bags Harry had dropped.

        “You don’t need to- fuck. I really am sorry. You didn’t sneak up on me or anything, I wasn’t paying attention,” Harry rambled.

        Cedric let him, surprisingly, simply handing Harry’s bags back once he was done talking before shoving his hands into his pockets.

        “It’s okay Harry. I can’t imagine-” and he stopped himself, not wanting to say anything about Harry’s health out in the open.

        Harry was grateful, in some sense. He’d already had the endless talks with Hermione about the PTSD and other mental problems he probably had after the whole Voldemort thing, both of them coming to the conclusion that there wasn’t a way to address it in the wizarding world and there wasn’t a way to see a muggle psychologist either seeing as how Harry wouldn’t be able to explain what had occurred at all anyways.

        The dreams, the nightmares, the terror he could feel creeping up on him all hours of the day was normal for what happened. It would happen to anyone who had gone through what he had gone through. Yet, despite that rationality, he still found himself sobbing into Hermione’s shoulder, trying not to let the weight of what he was going through affect her with her own baggage clinging like a second skin.

        They were all fucked in the head.

        Harry knew that.

        He also knew that kicking Cedric, quite literally, to the ground in public did not show progress.

        When would it be enough? Could two years still not fix what was wrong with him?

        Cedric shook his head as if to move past that train of thought, a smile coming to his face, “Look, I’m not hurt, and I’ll know not to do that again. Water under the bridge, all right?”

        Harry swallowed, “Yeah. All right.”

        “Great. I had come over to ask you how you’ve been, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

        Harry felt his ears burn, for once glad his hair hid them so well. Cedric’s smile still made his stomach do weird flips and the fact Cedric did so with a bruise the size of his foot forming made it all the more heartfelt.

        “I’ve been doing well. I work part time right now and I’ve been looking after my godson lately. I’m actually helping with his early education when I have time.”

        “That’s great,” Cedric said, sounding so sincere, “He’s Professor Lupin’s son, right? I think I saw him at the celebration of the Battle of Hogwarts last year when you were finishing your seventh year.”

        Harry nodded, the picture of the first celebration of the Battle of Hogwarts clear in his head. One year without Voldemort felt like a dream, especially when he had been in school since it reopened on October 1st, a month later than normal due to the cleanup. But seventh year had flown by, NEWTS fast approaching, when he was thrust in front of a massive crowd to give a poorly prepared speech about the rebuilding of Wizarding Britain.

        “Yes, his name is Edward, but everyone calls him Teddy. He’s a metamorphmagus like his mum was, but he’s prone to keeping his dad’s eyes and freckles,” Harry trailed off for a moment, finally letting go of the embarrassment that had been clinging, “How’ve you been? Last I heard, you left the Ministry job you had.”

        Cedric’s shoulders slumped a bit at that, “I’m guessing you read it in the Prophet?”

        “I actually heard about it from Hermione; she heard the argument you and your father had gotten into in the atrium that morning. I don’t honestly read the Prophet much. I prefer the Quibbler.”

        He’d always have a soft spot for Luna and her family’s magazine, paying in advance for the bi-monthly issues to be delivered to his flat.

        “Ah, well,” Cedric looked sheepish now, eyes averting to the space next to Harry’s head, “It’s hard to explain. I didn’t feel like I was helping any, a dead end position if you will, and I couldn’t take it. Sure, I could have been moved up with my father’s connections, but then it wouldn’t be on my own merit. I needed a change.”

        “What are you doing now then? If you need work, George always needs help at the joke shop, even if he doesn’t always admit it.”

        “Actually, I’m working on fixing something up- are you done shopping? I can show you, if you’d like. It’s on Diagon’s main stretch,” he finished by pointing over his shoulder, in the vague direction back to the main alley.

        “I am. You don’t need to show me though-”

        “Are you busy?”

        “No, it’s just-”

        Cedric interrupted him again with a laugh, “Then come on. I haven’t gotten to tell anyone yet and I’m dying to.”

        Harry found himself swallowing again, “Sure then, lead the way.”

        Cedric proceeded to do so, moving to grab Harry’s hand but pausing when he flinched. Cedric said nothing, his smile going soft again. They walked in silence along cobbled streets, Harry trying to keep his head down so as to not draw attention.

        In no time at all they were along the main stretch of Diagon Alley, Gringotts and the Weasley joke shop standing tall. Harry readjusted his bags only to almost run into Cedric, not noticing the other had stopped until it was almost too late. He looked to the store they were in front of to see the depressing sight of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, derelict, windows still boarded up.

        “I bought the place a few months ago. Been fixing it up. It’s almost done actually; I need to find someone to help me with finances and redo the front, but after that, it’ll be open again,” Cedric explained.

        Harry looked at Cedric in disbelief. When he’d heard the news about Florean Fortescue during the war, he had never thought about the simple far-reaching consequence of his death once the war was done. Harry had heard more than one person over the past year making comments about missing the ice cream shop, himself included. His summer before third year had gotten him to fall in love with the place. To see it closed and to know the man had been killed by Voldemort only harshened the blow.

        “He left his recipes behind, and he doesn’t have any immediate family that have come forward. I thought this could bring a bit of happiness back.”

        “I think so too.”

        Cedric looked over at him, keys hanging on one of his fingers, “Want to see inside?”

        Harry blinked.

        “Yes, of course.”

        Cedric went to the door, putting one key in the deadbolt lock, then another in the larger lock below it. He opened the door and motioned Harry inside.

        “What color were you thinking about painting the front?”

        “I thought a light blue would work actually…”

 _Light blue._ The elephant… he’d forgotten.

        When Cedric put his hand on Harry’s shoulder again, Harry didn’t flinch.

        …

        “Harry!”

        “One second Teddy!”

        Harry stood over the bathroom sink in his flat, leaning in towards the mirror as he tried to fix his hair into a contained mess. It had been unusually hot going into Spring in the British Isles, making Harry’s hair curl up more than usual due to the almost constant humidity. He ran a comb roughly through the front part of his bangs only to huff in frustration when it got caught in the last half inch.

        “It’s been thirty-seven seconds Harry! I counted!”

        Harry glared at his reflection, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to do anything else. Admitting defeat was never his strong suit, especially over something as ridiculous as hair.

        He really had to ask Hermione how she did it one of these days.

        “Fifty-two!”

        The bathroom light went out, Harry quickly snatching two ties off of his bedspread before walking in to meet Teddy in the living room. The recently-turned five-year-old was sitting on the couch upside down, with his feet pointing towards the ceiling in two different colored socked feet.

        “You’re late,” he said matter of factly.

        “By a few seconds.”

        “By a whole minute! ”

        Harry grinned at his godson, sitting down next to the other who quickly flipped over, kicking Harry’s side in the process.

        “That’s because when I said one second I did not mean it literally.”

        “What’s literally?”

        “Literally means what I said was an exaggeration, I didn’t really mean exactly one second.”

        “So you lied.”

        Teddy looked put off by this fact.

        “No, I didn’t lie. When people say they’ll be there in a second it means that they will be there soon or quickly, it’s a figure of speech. It’s like when Grandma Andy says it’s raining cats and dogs,” Harry leaned in towards Teddy, voice hushing to a whisper, “It isn’t actually raining cats and dogs, it simply means it’s raining a lot.”

        “Oh… okay. Like when Uncle Ron says he’s so hungry he could eat a horse- he’s really hungry.”

        “Exactly; brilliant as usual Teddy.”

        That made Teddy beam in Harry’s direction, hair turning a vibrant pink in contrast to the dull orange it was before. Harry felt his heart swell with affection, Teddy’s smiles garnering the same reaction every time.

        Teddy spotted the two ties once the conversation was over, climbing into Harry’s lap to see them up close. Harry shifted to make it more comfortable for Teddy to sit, ignoring the fact his dress robe he chose to wear over the suit was probably being wrinkled, holding them out for the other to inspect.

        “Since you have a better grasp on color than I do, I thought I’d leave my tie up to you,” Harry explained, letting Teddy rub his hands over the two materials.

        “Do the purple one. It doesn't match any of the houses and it looks nice with the grey.”

        “The green would match my eyes though,” Harry countered, watching as Teddy’s face screwed up in focus.

        “Yeah, but you wore green to the last thing. Gotta mix it up.”

        “It was Christmas- sorry, Yuletide, why wouldn’t I wear green?”

        “Why won’t you wear purple now? Mione always says you have to get out of your comfort zone.”

        “And did Aunt Hermione explain to you what that means?”

        “Yep! It means you have to explore, and try new things, even if you feel kind of scared about it. I was scared when I started using the new broom you got me, ‘cause it went super high! But, you were there to help me so I did it anyway and wasn’t scared anymore,” Teddy took the purple tie from Harry as he spoke, shifting around so he could put it somewhat sloppily around Harry’s neck. “You don’t have to be scared Harry.”

        Teddy’s hair flashed violet as if to prove it, his eyes green. Matching.

        “Of course, thank you Teddy.”

        “You’re welcome!” Teddy chirped, crushing all of his weight against Harry’s chest before wrapping his arms around Harry’s middle. His fingers didn’t quite reach each other in the back, his nose pressed against Harry’s neck as he smiled and laughed and was happy.

        Harry quickly hugged him back, placing a kiss on Teddy’s temple.

        “I love you.”

        His heart stopped.

        “I love you too Teddy, more than you’ll ever know.”

        Teddy’s hands tightened for a brief few seconds, only unclasping once the fireplace roared to life with green flame. Ron stumbled out of it first, followed by Hermione, both dressed to the nines. Teddy launched himself off of the couch with a yell, using Harry as a launchpad in the process, to give them hugs one after the other.

        Harry stood up, correcting and knotting his tie almost on instinct before he too had his arms full of Hermione, then Ron.

        “You both look great.”

        “So do you. Do you have your speech ready? We have reservations at the place we were telling you about for the three of us-” Hermione responded first, interrupted by Ron.

        “I thought it’d be hard to get one so late, but the second they realized who was coming they offered whatever table we wanted-” who was interrupted by Teddy.

        “I’m staying with Grandma Andy, right Harry?”

        Harry looked between the three who had talked over each other, Teddy nonplussed while Ron only smiled sheepishly.

        “Yes, my speech is ready. I told you not to worry about it since, sadly, my name does carry weight, especially around this time of year. And yes. Andromeda will be meeting us after my speech so you don’t have to stand around with the stuffy adults.”

        “But- but I wanted to stay so I could talk to some Hogwarts students! They get the day off so they can go, right? The celebration is held at the school.”

        “I’m sure if you ask Andromeda that she won’t mind staying for a little while longer,” Hermione responded before Harry could answer, a soft smile making its home on her face. “And you could always ask any of us about Hogwarts too.”

        “You three were all in Gryffindor though- I want to know about all of the other houses too! Mum was in Hufflepuff after all.”

        “Of course,” Harry murmured, “It’s only natural for you to want to know more. I went into Hogwarts knowing basically nothing about the houses, and while I was happy in Gryffindor it would have been nice to know something.”

        Teddy nodded rapidly in agreement, excitement showing clearly in his eyes.

        “Well, how about you get your shoes on and the four of us can apparate to the Hogwarts’ Gates.”

        Teddy scampered off to do as Harry said, his bedroom door opening with a bang as it hit the wall with decent force. Harry only sighed, not wanting to reprimand Teddy on what was an exciting day for the Wizarding World.

        “He’s got plenty of energy as usual,” Ron commented.

        “He couldn’t fall asleep last night, kept asking questions about the grounds and what had to be fixed up five years ago. I think I’m going to pass him off to Hagrid next time he gets on a questioning spree like that.”

        Hermione opened her mouth to respond only to go silent as Teddy called out from his bedroom, asking her to help him tie his shoes.

        “Ouch, I’m not the favorite anymore,” Harry joked, taking a small step back as Hermione mock-swung at him with a swift shake of her head.

        A muffled conversation could be heard from beyond the open door, Ron not too subtly checking to make sure Hermione was truly busy for the next minute or so. He leaned closer to Harry, shoving a hand into his pants’ pocket to retrieve a small velvet box.

        “I got the box right?” he asked, voice not daring to go above a whisper.

        “Yep, she’ll love it,” Harry reassured, “A muggle proposal. Your dad is going to shit himself Ron.”

        “Well,” he paused, rubbing the back of his head as he shoved the box back into the pocket it had emerged from. “I’m asking Hermione, and I want to do it her way, you know? She’s muggleborn and it’s part of her culture- or whatever. Merlin, I sound like an arse when I say that, but I want to acknowledge that in some way.”

        “Ron, she’s going to love it and say yes; you’ll live happily ever after with a kid and a half. I’ll read the cheesiest best man speech ever- or the wizarding equivalent- while you and Hermione cry even though you’re going to deny the tears until you die.”

        “Shut up or I’ll cry right here,” Ron looked over his shoulder again, “and then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore.”

        Harry burst out laughing, only stopping once Teddy ran over to slam into his legs at full force. Having expected it, for once, Harry didn’t even have to take a step back. He quickly ruffled Teddy’s hair, grabbing lightly at his ears and tugging.

        “All ready to go?”

        “Yes!”

        “Perfect. I’ll see you two at the gates?”

        Hermione nodded, double checking to make sure her blouse was wrinkle free.

        “I cannot imagine the pandemonium that would descend upon Hogwarts if the Gryffindor trio didn’t show up together Harry. Today is going to be hectic enough.”

        Harry didn’t have a response to that. It was true and they all knew it. Hermione took Ron’s hand, the duo leaving the living room with a muffled ‘crack.’ Harry checked Teddy, humming at the double knotted shoelaces while tucking a seafoam green strand of hair behind Teddy’s ear.

        “Hold onto my hand and don’t let go until I tell you to. I don’t want you getting splinched. Your grandmother would kill me,” he muttered the last part, Teddy forcing down a laugh at the tone.

        Teddy took a small step back, one hand going to the strap of his overnight backpack, the other firmly in Harry’s grasp. Harry did a silent, and quick, sweep of the room to make sure all the lights were off and the windows were closed. He made a mental note to put the extra tie back in his room that night after spotting it on the arm of the couch.

        Not even ten seconds later they stood on Hogwarts’ grounds, the gate open and looming above their heads. Teddy jumped in place, soon rocking back and forth on his heels as Harry had yet to move forward.

        Harry crossed the threshold with a deep exhale, calmly walking over to Ron and Hermione’s sides. A few figures were a good distance away, already in front of the castle’s main steps.

        “Stay in sight Teddy,” Harry said, giving Teddy’s hand a firm squeeze before letting it go. The five-year-old ran in front of the trio about fifteen paces, skipping from odd cobblestone to cobblestone on the now mostly worn dirt path.

        “You said Andromeda is taking him tonight. Has she been feeling better? I haven’t gotten a chance to talk with her in a while since we’ve been busy with work,” Hermione asked, tone mildly worried.

        “She’s had a good week from what she told me, but, honestly, she doesn’t think she’ll get any better. The staff at St. Mungo's are hopeful still since they think it’s a blood curse of some kind…” Harry trailed off, a frown dipping the edges of his lips down.

        “I thought they had ruled it out?” Ron asked.

        “They don’t think it can be anything else. It’s a form of cancer, I’m certain of it, especially after you gave some of those books Mione. We’ve hit a roadblock though, since the only muggle documentation she has is her marriage certificate. There isn’t a way to have her treated at a muggle hospital, not unless we’re willing to either violate the statute of secrecy or go through the ministry, which has already denied Andromeda documentation once since she’s a Black.”

        “Oh Harry…”

        “She’s officially transferring Teddy’s custody to me next week. Expect that news to hit the papers before June starts.”

        The three fell into silence after that, merely watching as Hogwarts got closer and closer, Teddy practically vibrating as he sped up.

        “June’s when you take your mastery examination, right?” Ron finally broke the quiet, turning them back towards lighter topics.

        “On the 18th, I’ll also be undergoing the teaching certificate examination now that the magical education office is squared away.”

        “You’re taking Headmistress McGonagall’s offer then?” Hermione sounded excited, thrilled even.

        “As soon as the parchments are in my hand.”

        “That’s fantastic! Teddy and Victoire will have you as one of their professors then, as will all of our classmates’ sprog.”

        “Sprog?” Hermione questioned.

        “Charlie said that’s what they call baby dragons for the first six or so months,” he answered, looking proud.

        Hermione snorted.

        “I think Charlie’s having one over you mate.”

        “Bloody-”

        “I do hope that you do not plan on swearing when any impressional Hogwarts student could be listening in Mister Weasley,” Ron was cut off before he could continue, McGonagall raising an eyebrow in his direction as though they were all back in first year again.

        “Of course not,” he reassured, letting out a sigh of relief when she turned her attention to Teddy who was sticking a hand out for her to shake.

        “Hello Miss McGonagall.”

        “Hello Mister Lupin; thank you for making it to the event,” it was said crisply, Teddy’s hair changing to black streaked with silver akin to Minerva’s own. She smiled softly down at the shorter before turning to look at the adults.

        “The Great Hall is all ready for you three, as well as everyone else; I assume I do not have to escort you?”

        Harry smiled, “No ma’am. We will be fine on our own, thank you.”

        She smiled back, “It’s good to see you three, as well as you Teddy. I am looking forward to your speech Mister Potter. I hope you don’t disappoint.”

        “You and me both.”

        They passed by the aging witch, a warm hand squeezing Harry’s shoulder in reassurance as Teddy retook Harry’s other hand.

        “You’ll do fine. Hogwarts welcomes you all home.”

        With that, they left Minerva behind to wander the halls until they reached the Great Hall a relatively short distance away. Teddy’s head swiveled one way and then the next as he took in everything he possibly could.

        “Do you think I’ll see Dumbledore in a painting? What about Mister Snape? Who’s here already? What do they have to eat? How many people will be at the speech? When did-”

        “Woah there, that’s a lot of questions that I need time to answer, young sprog.”

        “Shut up Harry.”

        “Ron!”

        Silence, then laughter. Teddy looked at them all with confusion, hair flashing a few colors before settling on a ginger even brighter than Ron’s.

        “Like the good old times, huh?” Ron finally got out, “Harry’s snark and Mione’s exasperation.”

        “And your pigheadedness?”

        Harry’s head snapped up to see Seamus leaning against the doorway which led into the decorated venue. A shit eating grin was present, his hair wild as usual.

        “At least I didn’t explode every other week,” Ron shot back.

        “Not literally…”

        Teddy’s hand tightened in Harry’s own as Ron and Seamus took potshots back and forth, laughter dancing in their eyes. Harry squeezed the hand back.

        “To answer your questions, Dumbledore generally shows up to this event in the portraits, I have never seen Professor Snape outside of his main portrait’s discovery, I don’t know who’s here yet other than Seamus, there will be a large selection of food from the Hogwarts’ kitchens, and a lot of people will probably show up to hear the speech I’m giving as well as others.”

        Teddy nodded, his chin jutting out towards Seamus.

        “That’s Seamus?”

        “Yes, he was one of my dorm mates in school, like Uncle Neville.”

        Teddy seemed satisfied with the answers, allowing Harry to return his attention to the conversation.

        “- and it was absolutely gorgeous,” Hermione finished up, her and Ron now standing in front of their former classmate.

        “Dean worked for over a year on that piece. Drove us both mad, him because of that perfectionist streak and me ‘cause he wouldn’t come home until after midnight some nights. I eventually convinced him to work on it at home and not at the studio until it got physically too big.”

        “Where is he anyway? You two are normally attached at the hip during these.”

        Seamus sighed overdramatically, “He couldn’t make it. Dean’s out of the country for some deal and he got held up.”

        “Whose Dean?”

        Harry looked back down at Teddy, a smile filtering to his face.

        “Another one of my dorm mates from school. He’s Seamus’ husband,” Harry spoke quietly, walking past the group of three now standing off to the left of the door, giving Seamus a wave with one hand as he and Teddy entered the Great Hall, “He also made that huge mural that’s in the Ministry atrium. Minister Shacklebolt commissioned him to commemorate those who died.”

_Who died during the war._

        “What’s commemorate mean?”

        “It means… it means to remember something, usually important, in a respectful way.”

        Teddy nodded. He let go of Harry’s hand, instead clinging to the side of Harry’s robe.

        “Like the speech?”

        “Yes, exactly like that.”

        They were quiet for a moment, Teddy absorbing Harry’s words in a manner not quite fitting of a five-year-old. Harry forced himself not to react as Teddy’s eyes met his, the warm green of Remus Lupin front and center.

        “Could we visit mum and dad on Sunday?”

        Harry’s heart lurched.

        “Of course.”

        What else could he say?

        Harry took a quick look around, noting the tables against one wall filled to the brim, and in some instances overflowing, with food and drink. Banners hung from the ceiling, the Hogwarts’ crest on each, the house banners hung at the front of the room above a few seats and the school podium.

        Natural light from the outside flooded in from the windows making it possible for a candleless night sky, backed with the hazy glow of magic, to be featured on the ceiling, an echo of the night five years ago when it all began.

        Harry didn’t know how McGonagall did it every year, but it was impressive as usual.

        “Is that the shield?” Teddy asked while pointing up, his head tipped back.

        “Yes, that’s the magical shield the professors put up before the battle began. It fell early in the fight, but it gave us a few extra minutes.”

        “Cool.”

        Teddy’s head tipped back down, taking in some of the other groups clustered throughout the room. Many of the people Harry recognized by face if not by name, but for Teddy many of them were new. It was his first large event he’d attended in memory, as Harry didn’t count him being present when his parent’s Orders of Merlin were presented the July following their death or the first Battle of Hogwarts celebration.

        Harry, sadly, didn’t spot Hagrid, meaning he wasn’t in attendance yet, but he saw plenty of former classmates who’d been both in his year and not, as well as some press, professors, a few ministry officials who’d arrived far ahead of schedule, and some sixth and seventh year Hogwarts’ students since they had to be seventeen if they were allowed in before noon.

        It was a wonder no one had come over to bother him yet.

        Harry, having been expecting questions, sent a look in Teddy’s direction only to pause rather abruptly. His hair was pale blond, Malfoy blond. Harry followed his gaze, picking out Draco Malfoy from the small crowd of Slytherins easily. A woman with dark brown hair was on his arm, seeming to have a heated discussion with another boy from Draco’s year. Blaise Zabini if Harry remembered correctly.

        “He’s my cousin.”

        Harry blinked, looking back down at Teddy hoping for him to continue.

        “Grandma Andy explained it to me, how since she’s my grandmother, that makes Narcissa my great aunt, and Draco my first cousin once removed.”

        That was right. Family was historically important to the Blacks, and Andromeda had kept up that belief even after she was blasted off of the tree for marrying Ted. Sirius had explained it to him once, how devastated Narcissa had been when Andromeda, her sister, seemingly betrayed the family.

        Sirius had always said that was the only reason Bellatrix and Narcissa managed to get close. Before Andromeda left, Narcissa preferred her over Bellatrix, or it seemed that way at family dinners, but Sirius never actually asked.

        Harry mentally shook it off, knowing this wasn’t the time to go down memory lane when he had the rest of the day to deal with.

        “Do you want to say hello?”

        Teddy looked up at him in what appeared to be shock.

        “I thought you hated him.”

        Ah.

        “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

        His relationship with Draco Malfoy had always been that, _complicated_.

        “Oh, okay,” Teddy quickly grabbed his hand again. “Yes please.”

        Harry sent a silent prayer that Seamus would keep Hermione and Ron’s attention for another five minutes as they walked over to the small group. Teddy’s hair still hadn’t changed. Draco’s back was to them, but he turned to look in their direction when someone pointed behind his shoulder at the approaching duo.

        Silence fell over them, Harry finally recognizing the woman as Draco’s fiance, Astoria.

        Teddy let go of Harry’s hand putting his other hand out towards Draco to shake.

        “I’m Teddy Lupin. My Grandmother Andromeda told me we’re related since her sister is your mum,” he was nervous, but Draco said nothing to interrupt. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

        Draco looked over to Harry for a split second before turning his attention back to Teddy, taking in his hair and already scuffed shoes.

        “Are you usually a blond?” he finally asked, his drawl not any different than it was at his trial-

        “No, I’m a metamorphmagus like my mother.”

        As if to demonstrate, even though Teddy’s didn’t have full control of it yet, his hair flashed a light brown before settling somewhere between blue and green. Draco smirked, finally extending his hand down to give Teddy’s a firm shake.

        “It’s very nice to meet you Teddy, I’m Draco.”

        The fist Harry had subconsciously tightened, balled at his side, relaxed as Teddy shook back with equal force.

        “Potter.”

        Draco stuck out his now free hand towards Harry. When had he spaced out?

        “Malfoy,” he shot back, the bite normally in the name absent for once.

        “You seem to be doing well.”

        “You too,” he was only half focused on the other, tracking Teddy with his eyes as he shook more hands (“-nice to meet you Teddy, I’m Astoria-”).

        “No one is going to hurt him.”

        Draco seemed bored already, the sentence something he must repeat constantly. Harry felt guilt twinge somewhere in his gut.

        “I know.”

        And, almost as if he didn’t even know he’d been tense, Draco’s shoulders relaxed.

        “He lives with Andromeda, correct?” Draco finally asked.

        “Yes, he lives with her most of the time. I’m more of the weekend guardian.”

        Draco hummed, eyes sharpening as Zabini, definitely Zabini, asked Teddy a question about his favorite book.

        “Is he…” the tone sent off warning bells in Harry’s head, Draco seeming to not know how to continue. “His parents-”

        “If you’re asking whether he’s a lycanthrope like his father since he inherited metamorph genes from his mother you won’t be getting an answer. It’s none of your business,” Harry sharply cut him off, already have gotten used to that line of questioning a long time ago.

        “I was going to ask if he knew Andromeda was dying actually,” Draco didn’t even bristle, not rising to the bait of an argument. “He’s already lost his birth parents after all, and while I assume he would merely live with you full time once she passes it would be a reassurance to get that confirmation so I could pass it on to my mother, lest she petitions for custody or some nonsense come the inevitable.”

        Harry looked at Draco, really looked at him, noting the engagement band gleaming on pale hands and an absence of heavy bags under his eyes for what seemed to be the first time since their fourth year. Draco met his gaze, expression subdued.

        “My mother worries for Andromeda. They meet about once a month now and she has been trying to convince my aunt to move into the manner so she will have more company and aid than she does on her own.”

        “I didn’t know.”

        “My knowledge of the situation is recent as well.”

        Harry felt his mouth twitch up.

        “You could just say I didn’t know either.”

        Draco’s eyebrows moved upwards.

        “How plebeian.”

        Harry snorted, clapping a hand over his mouth while Draco remained stoic as ever, not caring about the looks he was most likely getting from the others in the room who were close enough. Harry sobered himself up quickly, running his hand down the front of his robe in an absent motion.

        “Well, you can tell Lady Malfoy I gain full custody of Teddy within the month. He’ll be well taken care of, as will Andromeda. I visit her at least twice a week right now-”

        “It’s Dowager Malfoy now, actually. Astoria is to receive the title of Lady Malfoy within the year once we wed,” he quietly, and quickly, cut Harry off.

        “I hadn’t realized Lucius died…”

        Draco’s jaw tightened.

        “He hasn’t, but he does not hold the title of Lord Malfoy and he never will again,” Draco’s tone was venomous, “It would honestly be easier if he had died or been given the death sentence at his trial, but rotting in Azkaban is arguably a much better punishment, even without the dementors.”

        Harry swallowed, not saying anything as Draco took what appeared to be a calming breath.

        “Sorry-”

        “Don’t apologize. I could have very well been right alongside him if you and some of your other friends hadn’t stepped forward-”

        “Kingsley would-”

        “Would have done _nothing_ of the courts ruled-”

        “Harry?”

        They both snapped out of their developing argument to Teddy, who had somehow gotten a small glass of juice, the topic dropping like a stone into the sea.

        “Yes?”

        “Is it okay if I talk with Draco about Slytherin?”

        Right, he wanted to learn about the houses. Of course Teddy would choose Draco to learn about Slytherin.

        “I am perfectly fine with it, but you need to ask Draco first.”

        He said nothing about the use of his first name. No one else did either. Thank Merlin.

        “Could you tell me about your house?”

        The anger from not even a minute prior all but vanished. It seemed Draco had a soft spot for kids, which was oddly not the most surprising thing Harry had ever learned about him.

        “Gladly.”

        And Harry didn’t want to hover. He knew Draco wouldn’t hurt Teddy, neither would any dubious character at such a high profile event, but he also knew to extract himself from the group and leaving the kid behind was definitely not good parenting.

        “We’ll watch him, you can go speak with some other fans if you want to Potter.”

        Astoria had appeared at his side, glass in hand (where Teddy must have gotten his), a smile on her face. He forced himself not to jump.

        “Thank you, and congratulations.”

        Her smile widened, “Thank you.”

        Their conversation was over as soon as it started, and Harry moved away sending a glance in Teddy’s direction before leaving him behind completely. He was listening to Draco with rapt attention. His juice was already gone.

        More people had arrived in the few minutes Harry and Draco had spoken, the grace period seemingly over since Teddy was no longer with him. Harry tried to avoid any obvious members of the press this early on, sending a smile in the direction of a gaggle of Ravenclaws, one of them from his year (Terry Boot?) if he remembered correctly.

        He soon found himself shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with wizards and witches alike. The great hall kept filling up as time passed, an hour gone by as if it was nothing. He’d been separated from Hermione and Ron at one point in time, spotting them once out of the corner of his eyes with former DA members.

        “All I’m saying is I’m twenty-two, there is no reason for you to call me Mister Potter when you’re only four years younger than me.”

        The seventh year he’d been speaking to, a Hufflepuff, flippantly waved her hand, “You also defeated Voldemort. I can’t even produce a fully corporeal patronus. It might only be four years of difference, but your experiences are astronomically different from mine.”

        “If that’s the scale we’re using I guess I have to break the news to Hermione and Ron they can’t address me by my first name anymore since they didn’t defeat Voldemort either.”

        She laughed, “That’s different too! They’re practically your family.”

        “Yes, well…”

        “I hope I’m not intruding,” a voice, a familiar voice, cut in somewhere to Harry’s left.

        “Not at all Cedric, in fact,” Harry paused, a grin lighting up his face, “Cedric Diggory, meet-”

        “Adelaide, Adelaide Moore. I’m one of Hufflepuff’s seventh-year prefects. I didn’t quite make head girl as I’d hoped.”

        They shook hands, a bright smile overtaking Cedric’s face.

        “I remember. You joined Hufflepuff during my seventh year,” it was said fondly.

        “Adelaide here mentioned she is unable to produce a corporeal patronus and I remember that being a problem you had once upon a time,” spoken in jest, Cedric uncharacteristically rolling his eyes in response.

        “Yes, it was. Harry taught a bunch of students, including myself, during his fifth year and one of the big lessons was being able to cast a patronus. It took me practically forever, but I got it before the end of the year,” Cedric was clearly proud of himself, which caused Adelaide to laugh again. “I was having a rough time with what memory to pick, because none of them seemed powerful enough, but then Harry explained that it didn’t really have to be a specific memory. The feelings attached to memories is what’s important, so if you can have those memories front and center when you cast…”

        Cedric took his wand out from his sleeve, his holster hidden from view, some of the others within close enough distance looking around to find a threat only for there to be none. He brought his wand up, a deep breath being the only warning.

        “Expecto patronum!”

        For a split second, a blinding blue light filled the air, said light dying down a bit as legs moved forward, a stout horned animal parading around Cedric to look for danger. When none was found it stopped at Cedric’s side, in between himself and Harry, as if to wait for instructions.

        “Wicked!” Adelaide's explanation and the following smattering of applause snapped Harry out of his reverie, the apparent _deer-like_ animal flicking its ears to and fro.

        “Focus on the emotions, not one memory.”

        Adelaide rushed forwards to shake Cedric’s hand again, ‘thank you’s bubbling past her lips. A camera flashed out of the corner of Harry’s vision, chatter once again picking up around them.

        “- really, it’s not a problem-”

        Since when did Cedric have this patronus?

        “Excuse me, Mister Diggory,” a man dressed fully in traditional wizarding attire gained the other’s attention, a camera hanging from his neck resting against his chest, “I couldn’t help but see your display after overhearing your quick story. A magnificent patronus, I must say, but you said Mister Potter here taught you how to perfect the spell?”

        Cedric sent a look in Harry’s direction as if to ask ‘ _should I answer him_ ,’ to which Harry plastered on a rather fake smile. He hoped this whole situation wouldn’t turn into a questioning fest, but Adelaide had already left into the crowd and he could see someone he recognized from the daily edge towards the group of three.

        “Yes, I did teach Cedric alongside my other classmates during my fifth year. As I’m sure you’re aware, the Ministry’s administration at that time was heavily controlling and monitoring the school due to their denial of Voldemort’s involvement in multiple events that had transpired over the summer. Many of my classmates, including myself, worried about whether or not we would be able to pass our defense OWL since the Ministry appointed professor was lacking in her teachings,” he paused, watching as the other wrote down shorthand what he was saying. Cedric’s patronus stamped a foot down silently, not liking this situation for some reason.

        It was most likely projecting Cedric’s feelings, which could turn disastrous fast.

        “I see, I see. Not to pry, I hope, but could you possibly also cast your patronus Mister Potter? I’d love to get a picture of you two with your patroni, with your permission of course! It would really be a highlight for today, a pupil and his teacher years later on equal ground.”

        Harry begged his smile not to fall.

        “Of course, I simply ask you not... embellish anything.”

        The reporter nodded rapidly, eyes going wide, “Of course, of course! I wouldn’t dare-”

        “Then there won’t be a problem.”

        Harry cut him off before he could continue, his wand already in his hand halfway into the conversation knowing exactly where it was leading.

        “Expecto patronum.”

        Prongs seamlessly leaped into the air, trotting around Harry’s head a few times before going still as Harry reached out to pet his head on instinct. The patronus lowered his head, an ethereal heat playing on Harry’s palm before he let his hand fall down, watching as Cedric’s patronus shifted towards the larger form of Harry’s.

        “Looks like the tables have turned Cedric,” Harry joked, noting the obvious size difference that was for once in Harry’s favor as Prongs gently nosed the side of Cedric’s patronus that Harry still didn’t know the breed of.

        “Ha ha.”

        “Magnificent as usual Mister Potter, now; a quick picture? Then I’ll get out of your hair.”

        Oh, right.

        “Sounds good.”

        He placed himself next to Cedric, looking at the reporter expectantly to hurry this along. Prongs raised his head. The camera was prepped. Harry plastered another smile on his face.

        Cedric put his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

        Harry _melted._

        The flash went off and Harry could feel heat come to his cheeks.

        “Mister Diggory, could I ask what breed of deer your patronus is?”

        “You may. It’s a muntjac. They’re native to South Asia but they were brought to the British Isles in the 1920s, which is actually around the same time both sides of my family moved to England,” he explained, his hand still not leaving Harry’s shoulder.

        “Fascinating. Well, thank you for your time. Good luck with the speech Mister Potter,” and with those parting words harry and Cedric were left in peace for a few moments.

        “A muntjac, huh?” Harry asked quietly, still looking at the small deer next to Prongs with an expression akin to wonder.

        “Yeah. Surprised me too.”

        They fell into silence. Cedric still hadn’t moved his hand.

        Their patroni dissipated as the woman Harry had spotted earlier finally approached them directly, a very fake smile on her face. She wasn’t on Rita Skeeter’s level of schmooze, but she was definitely leaning in that direction.

        “Mister Potter, I’m with the Daily Prophet, and I wanted to ask if you had any opinion on the Ministry’s stance with the current climate abroad in North America with the attack two years ago-”

        “I have no comment to offer-”

        “ _Surely_ on the day to remember our very own-”

        “Actually miss, I had come over here to help Harry prep for his speech, but we’ve been sidetracked by some others already. Sadly, we only have a limited amount of time so you’re going to have to wait to ask any questions until after the speeches have been given,” Cedric cut in, a saving grace.

        Cedric’s smile was radiant, not an ounce apologetic. Her face went sour. Harry couldn’t care less.

        “My apologies,” he offered, as Cedric tugged him away in the direction of the drinks table.

        When they could no longer see her Harry felt his posture relax, Cedric’s hand finally leaving his shoulder. Cedric handed a glass to Harry. Harry drank it down in a few seconds, coughing on the carbonation that he hadn’t expected.

        “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone down champagne like a shot before.”

        “I don’t think I’ve ever drunk champagne before noon,” Harry shot back.

        “Touche.”

        Cedric seemed to nurse his small cup in one hand not knowing what else to say.

        “Has your patronus always been a muntjac?” Harry finally asked, not knowing if he wanted to answer.

        Cedric downed his champagne.

        “Yes.”

        What was Harry supposed to say to that?

        “How’ve you been Harry?”

        “Great honestly. I know I haven’t brought Teddy in much to the parlor, but it’s mostly because he’s been wanting to learn everything at once since Christmas.”

        Safe, this was safe.

        “No harm, no foul; I still get plenty of sales since that article came out about how Harry Potter was there opening day.”

        “You know as well as I do that Florean had a cult following and you would have had just as much business without my apparent endorsement.”

        Cedric’s smile softened. “Of course.”

        “I’m happy you accept my genius, it’ll do you well to know Harry Potter is always right.”

        “There’s that snark of yours.”

        “It never left.”

        “I’m aware. I thought you wanted to kill that guy who asked you to cast your patronus.”

        Harry snorted.

        “That’s not really my style. I do, however, have a source that could trap him for months in a glass jar.”

        They both burst out laughing, any unease disappearing without a trace. This is what Harry liked about Cedric, the way they could get lost in a conversation about anything for hours without really trying.

        “Remind me to not get on your bad side then,” Cedric joked, once again putting his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

        Strangely, Harry felt nothing negative. The only other person who could make him feel so at ease was Teddy, and that was because he’d been caring for the kid since he was a baby. Ron and Hermione still managed to make him jump sometimes, a bolt of terror rocking his mind before he could stop it.

        Cedric was calm, a warm bath after a long day. He had been since they’d met up at the market years ago now.

        And his patronus…

        “I don’t think you could, so don’t worry. No glass jar jail for you.”

        “What a relief.”

        They spoke for a few more minutes as noon finally rolled around. The Great Hall was packed now with people from all over wizarding Britain. Harry got another glass of champagne from Cedric, both of them taking an occasional sip as they commented on some of the people they saw.

        (“- that’s a regular of mine. I think she works in the Department of Mysteries, but her kids love the raspberry lemon flavor-”)

        Harry eventually spotted Kingsley and his entourage of two aurors, Headmistress McGonagall, and a few others Harry couldn’t recognize.

        “I think I have to go.”

        Cedric nodded, his smile not leaving his face.

        “You’re an important man Mister Potter, and duty calls.”

        “I’ll see if I can find you again after the speeches, I’m sure Teddy would love to say hello,” Harry promised.

        “Last I saw him he was having the time of his life with Draco Malfoy since the guy actually picked him up on his shoulders.”

        Harry blinked.

        “Fuck.”

        “You did know that’s where Teddy is right?”

        “Oh, yes. I left Teddy in Draco’s care, but I didn’t expect that.” Harry really hadn’t expected that. It wasn’t a bad thing, it was merely… unusual, “He and Draco are cousins once removed, and Teddy wanted to ask him about Slytherin.”

        Cedric’s eyebrows went up his forehead, a low whistle leaving his lips.

        “So you’re related to Draco by proxy?”

        “I think I’m related to Draco anyways. My grandmother on my father’s side was a Black, so I’m related to him that way at least. All the different pureblood lines are related if you go back far enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if a Potter and Malfoy had married at one point in time.”

        Kingsley had finally spotted Harry, the man lifting a hand up in the form of a wave. Hermione was also at the man’s side, looking expectant in Harry’s direction.

        Shit. Time was up.

        “Teddy and I will probably stop by the parlor on Sunday. We have some business in the morning, but I think ice cream afterward is what he’ll need.”

        Cedric nodded, setting his glass down on the table behind him.

        “Sounds good. Since you’re famous, I’ll double the price.”

        Harry shook his head, sticking out a hand, “Thanks.”

        “Of course.”

        Rather than shaking his hand though, Cedric pulled Harry in for a hug. Harry found himself peering over Cedric’s shoulder in shock his hands useless off to his sides. It only lasted a few seconds, friendly on all accounts, but Harry’s body burned.

        “See you Sunday.”

        Cedric let go, expression mild. Happy. It looked like he wasn’t affected at all.

        Shit.

        “Y-yeah. See you Sunday.”

        Harry turned towards Kingsley, making his way over in a timely manner, trying to push the hug from his head. It wouldn’t leave. Cedric’s hug. Cedric’s smile. Cedric’s patronus.

        It wouldn’t leave. It circled in Harry’s thoughts for the rest of the day.

_Cedric’s patronus is a deer._

_Shit._

        …

        Harry felt ridiculous. He really did. He could barely see five feet in front of himself. He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t broken one of his ankles on the uneven ground. Still, despite all of this, Teddy was overjoyed and no one was giving him a second look.

        He glanced down at Teddy, whose hair hadn’t changed from dirty blond in three and a half weeks, sunglasses matching Harry’s own hiding his eyes from view. He held onto Harry’s hand tightly, tugging him through the mid-afternoon crowd that moved sluggishly in the humid July air.

        “Remind me again why I’m wearing these and not my perfectly functional regular glasses that actually allow me to see?” he questioned the other, having to dodge to the right as a hat brim almost took off his head.

        “You should’ve worn contacts! They’re supposed to make people ignore you, and George asked me to test’em out,” he babbled out, taking a sharp left turn to go back onto the main alley.

        “Asked you, not me.”

        “He gave me two pairs Harry. He was clearly implying you too.”

        “I see, I see,” Harry all but rolled his eyes, frowning when Teddy let his hand go, “When were you going to ask me if I was okay with being a guinea pig?”

        “A what?”

        “A test subject, and honestly-” he retook Teddy’s hand, both of them standing in the looming shadow of Gringotts bank. “Please don’t let go of my hand until we’re inside.”

        Teddy looked up at him, biting his lip, “Sorry.”

        “No need to apologize. I know you’ve been excited about this all for days.”

        “Weeks! Months! Years!”

        Harry finally smiled, taking the glasses off as they crossed through the doors. Teddy, having been to Gringotts before, didn’t fire off thousands of questions about the goblins and the banking system as he’d done two years ago.

        “Of course.”

        “I’m serious; this means I’m that much closer to starting Hogwarts!”

        “You still have four more years Teddy, and please take off your glasses inside.”

        “Less amount of time than last year,” was the mumbled reply as they stepped up to the next available teller, the goblin looking at Harry with slight apprehension as they all did nowadays.

        Teddy took off his glasses. Harry once again wished he hadn’t stolen a dragon in his youth. ‘ _In his youth_.’ Merlin, he was only twenty-four!

        “Good day Mister Potter, Mister… Lupin.”

        “Hi Mister Goblin sir, we’re here-”

        “I would like to open up a trust account for my very chatty godson,” Harry put his hand on top of Teddy’s head, ruffling his hair as the goblin peered down at them over his glasses.

        “I see… do you have the proper paperwork?” he finally asked, tapping the top of his golden nameplate with a nail. A very long pointed nail. Harry felt his smile get a little bigger hearing Teddy squeak at his side.

        Whoever said goblins had no sense of humor was a liar.

        “Yes, I picked them up last month. All of the details should be filled out properly; his name and mine, monthly allowance, security levels, all of those nuts and bolts,” Harry spoke while taking parchment out of his pocket.

        It consisted of four sheets of parchment rolled together and sealed with a swath of twine.

        “Excellent. We will verify your signature and have post sent once the vault is operational. It should take no longer than a month Mister Potter; are we to assume Mister Lupin should be getting his own key?”

        “Yes, there should be two keys made. It’s all in the paperwork.”

        The goblin nodded, setting the parchments aside after only glancing over them. He looked at Harry expectedly.

        “Is there anything else Gringotts can help you with?”

        Harry handed over a smaller roll of parchment sealed with bright red wax.

        “If this could be delivered to my account manager of the Black and Potter estates I would be most grateful.”

        Teddy watched the exchange in silence, clearly brimming with questions but not wanting to seem rude in front of the teller.

        “That can be done Mister Potter.”

        “Wonderful. Have a great day.”

        “I shall try,” the goblin looked down at Teddy, a sharp smile coming to his face, “We look forward to watching your account grow Mister Lupin.”

        “Th-thanks.”

        Harry held back a snort, somewhat guiding Teddy by a hand on his shoulder back towards the doors. They made it outside without incident, Teddy retaking Harry’s hand without being prompted as they started towards the joke shop.

        “I’m getting an allowance?” Teddy finally asked, not saying anything about Harry putting his actual glasses back on. The street had started to empty and he could make out heat rising from the cobbled streets.

        “Yes, ten galleons a month to start. Once you hit Hogwarts and have Hogsmeade weekends it might increase,” Harry explained, keeping his voice hushed.

        Teddy stopped dead in the street looking up at Harry in shock.

        “That’s so much money! Aunt Mione says that when she started Hogwarts in 1991 a galleon was worth almost a hundred pounds.”

        “I know, but the exchange system is skewed, and you know that while ten galleons is decent, a wand costs seven galleons alone. If you wanted to exchange a few every month so you could have fun in muggle London, with a grown-up until I say so mind you, there would be nothing wrong with that. I can walk you through the exchange process. Now, come on. We told George you’d be there to help at two and we’re late.”

        “You buy me everything though Harry, why do I need an allowance?”

        Teddy did start moving however, the joke shop being easily spotted with its decorations on the outside.

        “Not everything, there are some things I don’t think you need. I say no to you sometimes, odd as that might seem to you.”

        “Like the new broom I want.”

        “Yes. If you wanted, you could save up for it.”

        Teddy frowned, “By then a new one will be out.”

        “So you get that one instead.”

        “Then I’ll have spent all of my allowance though.”

        “As I said, I’ll get you a new broom after your first year. Whichever one you want, no matter how much it costs. You’ll be more grown and you’ll use it at Hogwarts, even if you don’t join your house team,” Harry squeezed Teddy’s hand, “Something to think about okay?”

        “This whole allowance thing is trying to teach me responsibility isn’t it?” Teddy finally asked, voice sullen.

        Harry laughed, holding the shop’s door open for some of those who were leaving, bags in hand, “And you’ve caught wind of my evil plot.”

        Teddy slipped inside, Harry soon following.

        “I knew it.”

        The door closed with a bang, not making either one jump as they’d experienced it so often. Controlled chaos filled the three floors of the Weasley Joke Shop from the bottom floor to top ceiling. Teddy spotted George and made a beeline for, arguably, his favorite uncle to try and catch him unaware.

        Harry spotted Ron stacking shelves on the second floor, his shirt changed from that morning.

        “Did George get you with something?” he called up, grinning as Ron’s head peered over the banister with a look of mock hurt.

        “You accuse me of being caught by him? After all these years?”

        “Ron, you didn’t notice the kick me sign on your back last weekend until Vic gladly did so.”

        Ron grumbled, crushing a cardboard box with his foot.

        “That’s different,” it wasn’t, but Harry would give him this today, “Rosie spit up on my shoulder at lunch.”

        “Aw, she likes you.”

        “Piss off Potter.”

        “Woah, woah, woah, this is a prank zone, not a piss zone,” George called out, Teddy thrown over his shoulders already.

        “Thank you George. Where is that little daughter of yours anyways spit rag?”

        Ron shot a two-fingered salute over the banister, “Asleep in the back. You’ll see her at dinner.”

        Harry smiled at that; Baby Fever Sunday Dinner (as Ron had dubbed it) was upon them. Molly was rolling in grandchildren. She kept pestering Percy, as well as others, to marry and have kids already. Wasn’t three, four really since Teddy was around, enough?

        “That you will. Alright, I’m heading out,” he turned to look at Teddy, who was now being held by his ankles upside down, “Behave, the both of you. I’ll be seeing you at six.”

        “Yes sir,” George shot a grin in Harry’s direction, Teddy giving him a quick wave.

        “See you! Thanks for the responsibility and midlife crisis!”

        Harry, already halfway out the door, shot back a quick, “You’re only seven!” before the door closed, leaving the bells and whistles of the shop behind. He shook his head, beginning the trek back towards the front of the alley near the Leaky where the apparation point was located.

        The street was practically deserted, the mid-afternoon sun beating down mercilessly on Harry’s neck as he trudged along. He couldn’t wait for the summer heat to pass, to return to cooler days and clear nights.

        He stopped, spotting blue out of the corner of his eye, the color eye-catching among the mostly neutral tones of the alley. It was hot… and it had been a while since he’d stopped in. Mind made up, Harry moved towards the ice cream parlor, sweat prickling at his neck.

        The door opened with a soft jingle, the smell of sugar and sweet, cold air hit his face. Only one table inside was occupied with a group of Hogwarts age students, the five of them speaking in hushed tones.

        “Hi, how can I-” Cedric, whose back had been facing the door, stopped his automatic greeting upon seeing Harry’s face.

        “Hey Cedric.”

        “Harry, what a surprise. Teddy not with you today?” he asked easily, leaning up against the glass counter.

        “He’s with George and Ron down the street. I stepped in on a whim, figured I might as well say hello and get out of the heat.”

        “It’s hot out today. You missed the lunch rush, it was crazy for a while. Josh went on break a few minutes ago actually, anyways; what can I get you?” Cedric finally asked, an ice cream scoop in hand.

        “Do you have any cookie dough left?”

        “For you? Always,” said with a wink, Cedric sliding open the middle-right part of the case to scoop a cup full of cookie dough ice cream, a little yellow spoon shoved into the top.

        “That will be four sickles for Britain’s most valued customer.”

        “Very funny Cedric,” Harry put the coins into Cedric’s outstretched hand, watching as they disappeared into the cash register with four clinks.

        Harry put a spoonful of ice cream up to his lips, chewing on the cookie dough ball he managed to get absentmindedly.

        “How’ve you been?” Harry finally asked, swallowing.

        “Pretty good! Business is booming as usual in the summer, and the Hogwarts students love the themed punch cards. I think I am going to try to do something like this every summer from now on,” he wistfully smiled, “Makes me wish I was back in Hogwarts without the threat of war, you know?”

        Harry nodded, eyes dropping to his cup, “That would have been perfect.”

        Cedric jerked in place, his hand hitting the tip jar rather harshly. Two of the teenagers looked up from their conversation, eyes widening at Harry Potter standing at the counter.

        “Sorry- I didn’t-”

        “Cedric, I think anyone would say the same thing. We all suffered from the war, in Hogwarts or not.”

        Cedric went quiet. He moved the tip jar back to where it was before being almost knocked over, not looking at Harry’s face anymore.

        “Want to sit down with me?”

        He expected a no. Cedric was the only one in the shop right now. He usually apologetically told Harry, and Teddy when he was present, he had to stay behind the counter. Just in case.

        “Yeah, sure.”

        Harry blinked, automatically making for the booth in the corner Teddy claimed as “theirs” when Harry first took him here when he was three. Cedric, now sans apron with a cold drink of some sort in hand, slid into the booth across from him without speaking.

        “I’m officially going to be the defense professor this coming term,” Harry shared, snapping Cedric out of whatever funk he’d gotten himself in. “I’ve only been an assistant until now, but Mark, ah- Professor Willis, retired.”

        “Did he actually retire? Because I know he retired before, but then became a professor.”

        “Yes, I’m sure. Both his auror and teaching days are over,” Harry leaned in, eyeing the students on the other side of the room, “I don’t think many of the students are sad to see him go.”

        Cedric grinned, “They are getting the great Harry Potter as a professor instead.”

        “The great Harry Potter is a ‘hard teacher with too high expectations of his students’,” Harry quoted the report Willis and the Ministry gave Minerva at the beginning of March that year. “Minerva thinks it’ll get them to straighten up a bit, use their brains. Voldemort might be gone, but there are things in the world they need to be prepared for.”

        “You already call Professor McGonagall by her first name?” Cedric asked.

        “It’s not as weird as I thought it was going to be, and she has gotten over that gap a few times already so…”

        Cedric looked confused.

        “Snape was her student at one point in time too, but they always referred to each other by their first names face to face unless reprimanding a student,” Harry ate another bite of ice cream, pointing his spoon for emphasis, “The only time she’s used Mister Potter since I started teaching is when students call me Harry in front of her face. She’ll straighten her back and say something along the lines of ‘Mister Potter, while young, also deserves due respect as your teacher.’ It’s kind of terrifying.”

        “Good thing you’re the favorite, you’ll never get on her bad side.”

        “The only thing that’s going to do for me is make her all the more disappointed once she figures out how much I mess up.”

        “You’re a new teacher and you’re not infallible.”

        “I told the students they could call me Harry since I felt weird with the seventh years addressing me as professor with only a few years of an age difference.”

        Cedric winced.

        “So now they call me Harry, sometimes sir, and I think some of the students have an epithet competition.”

        “Which one’s your favorite so far?”

        “Mostly accurate colored wizarding Jesus.”

        Cedric didn’t even try to stop himself from laughing. He threw his head back with a smile stretching his face wide, cheeks coloring brightly within a few seconds.

        “A muggleborn came up with it. I had to stop myself from giving him house points.”

        “Which one,” Cedric finally asked, the smile still on his face, “Which house?”

        “Ravenclaw.”

        “Damn.”

        “He started a whole conversation on muggle religion since they share their block with Slytherin, and it devolved into how absurd there could only be one God, let alone whether or not Jesus was God’s son or a Prophet.”

        “How’d you make them wrap that up?”

        “Pop quiz.”

        “Ouch.”

        Harry felt the corners of his mouth twitch, his ice cream mostly gone. What was left sat in a puddle at the bottom of the cup.

        “Can I ask you an off topic question professor?” Cedric spoke again, taking a sip from his drink as Harry swatted the air near his shoulder.

        “Only if it can be applied safely outside the classroom Mister Diggory.”

        “Well, can I assume this is the classroom?” he motioned to the shop front, the two of them being the only remaining inhabitants since the group of five left.

        “Sure.”

        “Are you busy later tonight?”

        Harry’s eyes darted to Cedric’s face. He was nervous. Harry blinked.

        “I am actually. I’m meeting with someone in Hogsmeade in about an hour and after that I have dinner at the Burrow. It’s a Sunday tradition,” Harry added on.

        Cedric let out a breath, trying to relax. He shifted in his seat, Harry saying nothing as a metaphorical light slowly went on in his head.

        Oh.

        “How about next Saturday? Or Friday night?”

        “Cedric-”

        “Harry, do you want to go out with me?”

_Oh._

        “I know we don’t get together often and we haven’t been close for long, but I’ve wanted to ask. For awhile. My patronus, well, you’ve seen it, and I didn’t want to never say anything because you probably suspect something. I,” Cedric paused, eyes searching, “I really, really like you Harry. A lot. I’d like to try something between us, if you want to. Of course.”

_‘What animal do you have?’_

_‘Maybe you’ll find out someday.’_

        Cedric didn’t say anything else, waiting for Harry’s response. His thoughts raced. His mind hadn’t even crossed the idea of dating since killing Voldemort. It was about rebuilding, finishing school, finding a job, raising Teddy, getting his masters, teaching; he didn’t have time.

        He hadn’t.

        But his friends had gotten married. Bill and Fleur already had two kids while Ron and Hermione had one. Teddy would be going to Hogwarts sooner rather than later, loathe as Harry wanted to admit it. The world was moving forwards, moving on, and while Harry was happy he hadn’t gone out with anyone since he and Ginny split a month after all of the war trails were finished.

        Cedric was… warm. Safe. They’d become friends, slowly but surely, since Voldemort abducted them to the Little Hangleton graveyard in 1995. And Cedric’s patronus…

_‘A muntjac, huh?’_

_‘Yeah. Surprised me too.’_

        Cedric’s patronus, arguably some type of compliment to his own, blew Harry away. James and Lily had complimenting patroni, and Harry could vividly remember Snape making fun of Tonks for her change of patronus once she’d fallen in love with Remus.

        Once she’d fallen in love.

_‘Has your patronus always been a muntjac?’_

_‘Yes.’_

        Had Cedric loved him that long?

        The jokes. The glances. Winks. Hugs. Smiles.

        All Cedric.

        “If… if you don’t feel the same way I won’t pressure you into anything, ever. You don’t need to say yes out of pity, or sense of duty or something, either-”

        “Yes, I’d love to go out with you.”

        Cedric’s mouth closed with a click, his drink bottle getting roughly placed down on the table with a clink. Cedric didn’t respond. Harry let his spoon go, leaning forwards so he could place his hand on Cedric’s atop of the table.

        “Cedric, I’ll go out with you.”

        “I didn’t think you’d say yes.”

        The front door opened with a jangle.

        “How couldn’t I?”

        Cedric swallowed.

        “You have a customer.”

        He froze, Harry giving his hand a squeeze before he bolted upwards with a smile.

        “Hi! Welcome, how I can I help you three?”

        It was said a little bit too loudly. Cedric moved behind the counter, nervousness pouring off of him in waves.

        Harry watched as Cedric served a witch and her two children while more customers pressed into the space. Knowing Cedric was the only one working, and how it was getting busy fast, Harry stood up to throw his cup out. He sent a little wave at the three or four-year-old balanced on a man’s shoulders, her eyes lighting up.

        He moved through the gathering crowd, sending smiles and a wave or two to those present before making it back outside. He was slapped in the face with the heat, hearing an urgently yelled “Josh!” coming from the shop behind him.

        His meeting was soon, and he had to apparate to Hogsmeade. Harry double checked to make sure he had his things with him before walking up the street again, paying no attention to those around him.

        The ice cream shop door opened somewhere faintly behind him, footsteps rushing out. Hopefully, no one would drop their ice cream. Steps away from the apparation point, Harry’s shoulder was grabbed. He spun around, wand dropping to his hand, only to be faced with a heavily breathing Cedric. He’d chased after Harry.

        “Here,” he gave Harry a piece of parchment, an address scrawled on one side, “My floo address. Give me a call when you can and we can pick a date that’ll work for us.”

        “A date for our date?”

        “A date for our date.”

        Harry could feel his face warm from more than the heat, his hand darting into his pocket to ensure the parchment would be safe.

        “Sounds perfect.”

        Cedric stood, idle. He eventually took a step back.

        “I should probably get back to the shop. Josh is probably being mauled.”

        Harry smiled, stepping forwards to grip Cedric by the shoulders and press a kiss to his cheek, something he’d seen Ron do to Hermione, and vice versa, for years.

        “Talk with you later Cedric.”

        Before the other could reply, he took two steps back, apparating away with a laugh at Cedric’s shocked face, a hand pressed to his cheek as though he were burned. Harry hated the feeling of apparation, being sucked through a straw then spat back out, but his smile wouldn’t leave his face.

        He had a date.

        …

        Leaves crunched loudly underneath Harry’s feet as he made his way towards Hogsmeade under the watchful gaze of the quickly setting sun. Autumn weather had come quickly to Scotland, turning trees vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow and making breaths billow visibility into the crisp air.

        Harry could feel his ears burning from the harsh winds, his scarf only giving his neck and chin so much protection. He really needed to stop forgetting his hat, especially after he finally got a haircut.

        Shop windows were still aglow, casting shadows of light on the warn streets still littered with fallen leaves and some candy wrappers. Harry waved at some people he recognized, his gloves protecting his fingers from the nipping chill in the air. His cheeks were bright by this point, chafed by the wind, but he received friendly waves and “hello’s” in return before he moved on.

        The Three Broomsticks finally came into his sight as Harry rounded a corner, figures moving around inside with mugs of warm drink, platters of food stacked on tables. He and Cedric agreed to meet there that night to catch up. It was a Friday, so Harry had no classes to teach the next day and Flitwick was covering for him at that nights dueling club meeting. No responsibilities, no time limitations; he and Cedric could do what they did… they could just be.

        Stepping inside was a relief to his exposed skin, warm air rushing around him once the door was closed. He moved to unbutton his coat as he searched the crowd, spotting Cedric at a side table almost immediately.

        “Evening professor.”

        Harry turned to look, breaking out into a smile, “Good evening Rosmerta; it’s still just Harry.”

        She laughed, sending him a playful wink as she adjusted the empty tray in her hands, “The usual dear?”

        “Yes please; I’ll be sitting with Cedric.”

        “As I said, the usual.”

        Harry rolled his eyes, peeling his coat off of his shoulders as he walked passed her, making his way over to Cedric’s table in an even better mood than before. Cedric’s head jerked up as Harry got closer, a smile filtering to his face as he stood.

        They embraced, Harry pressing his face against Cedric’s shoulder with a hum as warm hands rubbed against his back. He mumbled out a muffled, “Hey.”

        Cedric pulled back, “Hey yourself.”

        They sat down after Harry hung his coat off of the back of his chair, his scarf loosely hanging around his neck.

        “How was your day?” Cedric asked, one of his hands drifting up under his chin so he could lean on his elbow.

        “Great. My students behaved well, I got to show my seventh years how to cast a corporeal patronus and a few actually managed it in the first hour,” Harry unfolded a cloth napkin, putting it over one leg below the table, “Minerva approved of holding next week's lessons outside so I could do some drills in the forbidden forest. I graded all of the essays I needed to for the weekend by three.”

        Harry paused as Rosmerta set drinks down on the table alongside some fresh bread rolls. He reached out for one, playfully batting away Cedric’s hand as they tried to grab the same one. They laughed, Cedric allowing Harry to keep the roll choosing to take a sip of his firewhiskey.

        “Of course they got it so soon, you’re a great teacher Harry. They’re really lucky to have you,” Cedric finally spoke while Harry was chewing, breaking open his own bread to slather butter on the warm insides, “How’s Neville doing by the way? You told me he started this year as the herbology professor since Professor Sprout retired.”

        “He’s doing well! The kids seem to love him and he’s really flourishing. He recently started up a new greenhouse on the grounds and he’s getting ready to propose to Hannah soon.”

        “Abbott? She was in my house right?”

        “Yes. My year, your house. They’re cute together.”

        “Cuter than us?”

        “I would need to ask an unbiased judge.”

        Cedric laughed again, covering his mouth with his hand as to not drop the piece of bread he had bitten off.

        “He’s the one watching Teddy tonight. Teddy is very excited to sleep over at Neville’s even though his rooms have the same layout as mine minus one bedroom.”

        Their conversation flowed easily, one drink going down then another as their food was delivered to their table. Harry dug into his chicken with little fanfare, closing his eyes as the glaze hit his tongue. He would never get over Rosmerta’s cooking.

        Harry felt his cheeks warm as Cedric’s fingers laced with his own on top of the table. Cedric was grinning at him with a pink hue to his own cheeks, both of them a tad buzzed.

        “Harry, have I told you how gorgeous you look today?”

        “No, not today.”

        “Well, you’re stunning, and I love you,” Cedric’s smile widened, his fingers squeezing Harry’s hand as if to emphasize.

        “You’re not too bad looking yourself Mister Diggory,” Harry teased, feeling his heart thud in his chest.

        “Why, thank you Mister Potter.”

        They could only smile stupidly back and forth at one another as the night wore on, dessert being brought to the table right after Cedric tried to start a game of footsie under the table.

        “I am going to finish my strawberry shortcake and you’re going to keep it in your pants,” Harry mock scolded, pointing his fork at Cedric’s chest.

        “Come back to my place when we’re finished then?”

        Harry, who had a fork full of cake in his mouth, met Cedric’s eyes unblinkingly. He swallowed, licking his lips (he felt crumbs, honest). Cedric’s spoon tapped absentmindedly on his bowl, raspberry mousse topped with white chocolate shavings remaining untouched.

        “Sure.”

        They finished their desserts mostly in silence, Cedric licking his spoon clean as though to make Harry eat faster.

        It worked.

        They gracefully tumbled out into the darkened street, their eyes shining as they laughed over a joke. Harry looked up at cold hitting his nose, spotting heavy snowflakes lazily drifting down from the now cloud-covered sky.

        A light layer of snow was starting to cover the ground, the rooftops, and the ledges of windows. He let his head tip back fully, his glasses fogging up as he let out a long exhale. Snow hit his face and melted soon afterward. Cedric linked their arms.

        They stood, side by side, hip to hip, watching and feeling the snowfall.

        “I love you too Cedric.”

        Cedric’s thumb rubbed the back of Harry’s hand. His nose was starting to go red from the cold.

        They apparated back to Cedric’s flat, Harry clinging to Cedric as he was side-alonged. He watched as Cedric shoved his hand into his coat pocket to get his keys, snow that was clinging to their shoes melting on the front mat.

        Cedric finally got the door open, the living room beyond dark and quiet. They took off their coats, toed off their shoes, and Cedric shuffled into the hallway towards his bedroom to turn on a light. Harry spotted the book he’d left three weeks ago sitting on the coffee table, his bookmark joined by another.

        Warm light poured over Harry’s feet. Cedric stood in front of his bedroom door, his silhouette outlined and his face darkened out.

        “My room is warmer.”

        Harry couldn’t stop himself from smiling, didn’t try to stop his legs from carrying him forward into Cedric’s arms. They wrapped around his waist. He tilted his head up, eyes falling closed.

        Kissing Cedric was always perfect. A cup of tea after a long day, a blanket on a cold night; a home to return to after eons away. Harry’s hands cradled Cedric’s face as their lips moved, his head tilting to the left with a smothered sigh.

        Cedric took a step back, then another once Harry followed his lead, making his way in the general direction of his bed behind him. One of Harry’s hands drifted down to the top button of Cedric’s shirt, undoing it right before Cedric stumbled and fell back, not expecting his bed to be so close so soon.

        Laughter was his answering reaction as Harry straddled Cedric’s legs, pressing another kiss to his lips.

        “Funny, huh?” Cedric spoke softly, tilting his head back and away from Harry.

        “A little.”

        He smiled, pinching Harry’s side to get a squeak as Harry jolted in place.

        “Hey-”

        “Surprise.”

        Cold fingers pressed against Harry’s stomach as Cedric untucked Harry’s shirt, another noise falling past Harry’s lips without permission. Cedric pressed his face against Harry’s neck, echoing back the laughter Harry soon felt again before gentle kisses were placed all along his neck, then his shoulders once his shirt was opened up.

        They moved apart, barely, to throw Harry’s shirt on the floor, Cedric’s following soon afterward. Harry moved back onto the middle of the bed, his back pressing against Cedric’s pillows as Cedric followed his lead.

        They smiled, love clear in Cedric’s eyes. Harry hoped it was in his eyes too.

        Calloused hands pulled Harry down a bit, causing his head to bang against the headboard somewhat harshly.

        “Fuck- shit, sorry-”

        “I’m fine you beautiful idiot. Kiss me-”

        They were both laughing again, Cedric’s fingers lacing through Harry’s hair as he kissed Harry again. Again. And again. He bit Harry’s lip gently, pulling back and letting go to press a kiss to Harry’s chin, then his adam’s apple.

        He sighed as Cedric sucked on the right side of his neck, more harshly as time went on before biting down. Harry _groaned_ , hands tightening at Cedric’s shoulders.

        “As much as I love foreplay, you’ve been teasing me since before dessert-” Harry began, voice somewhat strained.

        “Says the person who practically moaned when he bit into his chicken,” Cedric teased, lips drifting down to suck and nip at Harry’s pecs.

        “What can I say? I was hungry.”

        “Oh, me too.”

        Harry snorted, nose shifting to keep his glasses from falling as Cedric finally let his hands fall down to Harry’s belt. It was unbuckled, his zipper soon coming undone afterward. Harry shifted his hips upwards so Cedric could tug his pants down to his thighs, then to his knees.

        “Push back,” Harry made a shooing motion, Cedric going back on his knees with minimal effort.

        Harry wiggled, as sexily as possible, out of his pants before going for his socks. He heard another zipper and a rustle. Cedric, now naked in record time, tugged at the edge of Harry’s boxers dragging them down one thigh.

        “I only have one sock off-”

        “They could’ve both stayed on.”

        “Impatient.”

        Cedric hummed in agreement, but Harry did nothing else in protest. He moved to help Cedric with his underwear situation, said boxers soon finding themselves on the floor next to Harry’s shirt and pants. Cedric reached over into his bedside drawer, for lube and a condom like usual.

        Harry sat back on his elbow, watching Cedric’s back muscles flex. Freckles covered his shoulders from the summer. A scar ran from his hip upwards before curving around under his armpit. His butt was good looking too, as usual.

        “I can see why the called you pretty boy Diggory at school,” Harry spoke softly, eyes trailing up towards Cedric’s face as he turned back towards Harry, lube and condom in hand.

        “Can you now?”

        “Mhmm; you’re a modern Adonis. A bisexual Adonis,” Harry trailed off, blinking slowly, “Even if you’ve gone a bit soft in the middle from all that ice cream.”

        “Not all of us can keep a six-pack forever; I like to think of it as charming.”

        “I never said it was bad Ced, on the contrary; it makes you much more cuddly and loveable.”

        “Is that what you’d like?” Cedric asked playfully, lube bottle being placed next to Harry's outstretched thigh.

        “If you don’t start fucking me in the next ten minutes I will have no choice but to kill you.”

        Cedric grinned at that, brushing a hand over Harry’s knee to get it to move to the side. Harry shifted back to recline on both of his elbows, his legs going on either side of Cedric’s body.

        “Your wish is my command,” Cedric spoke, scooting closer and pushing Harry’s legs further apart. “Maybe afterward?”

        “Most definitely.”

        “Glad we could come to an agreement.”

        Harry watched as Cedric’s hands drifted over his thighs towards his hardening dick. His fingertips trailed over it slowly, softly, making a sigh leave Harry. One hand trailed down to fondle his balls, the other grappling for the lube bottle blindly.

        “Oh… that’s nice.”

        “Good.”

        The bottle opened with a small ‘ _pop,_ ’ Cedric’s hand leaving Harry’s body for a moment. Both hands returned shortly, once again gently pushing one of Harry’s legs further up while a finger trailed over his perineum and down.

        Cedric prepared Harry carefully, sluggishly, adding one finger after the other while scissoring them out every few seconds. Harry breathed in deeply, moaning when Cedric’s free hand grabbed his member to pump it once, then twice, when a wince would drift to Harry’s face.

        “You okay?”

        “Mhmm…”

        Cedric rubbed his thumb over the head, three fingers spreading wide. Precome dribbled onto Harry’s stomach, another moan sounding out. Harry shifted downwards onto Cedric’s fingers, moaning again when Cedric brushed his prostate.

        “Yes, yes, _yes-_ ”

        “There it is.”

        “Why haven’t you put your dick in, I’ve been stretched out for two minutes.”

        “Foreplay sweetheart, and look who’s impatient now?”

        Harry grunted, cracking open one of his eyes that had fallen closed at one point in time.

        “Your ten minutes are almost up Diggory.”

        The condom wrapper crinkled. Cedric’s fingers came out with a dulled squelch, and Harry had to stop himself from letting out a whine that time. His left leg was hitched over Cedric’s shoulder. He brought the right one up himself, folding his ankles loosely over each other.

        Cedric settled his hands on Harry’s hips, Harry meeting his eyes with want. Cedric turned his head, kissing the side of Harry’s knee, before nudging against Harry’s entrance. He pushed in slowly, a few shallow thrusts making Harry scramble to find something for his hands to grab onto.

        Once Cedric had bottomed out, he went still, listening to Harry breathe out a few harsh pants. He didn’t move, waiting while biting his lip. Harry shifted, causing them both to groan softly, sweat glistening near his hairline.

        Harry nodded.

        Cedric nodded back, pulling out before pushing back in only slightly faster than before. Harry’s head fell back, legs tightening and pulling, urging Cedric to move faster. He complied.

        Harry gripped the bedspread in a white-knuckled grip, moaning growing louder and louder as Cedric reached down to pump Harry in time with his thrusts. It felt good, great, transcendent and freeing as though he were flying in the clouds.

        His prostate was hit. Again and again. He saw stars.

        “-please, please, oh _Ced please-_ ”

        “I’ve got you, Harry- baby,” Cedric faltered, hands tightening. Leaving bruises.

        Harry came. His limbs felt like jelly as Cedric thrust once, twice, stilling as he moaned loudly and came soon after. They didn’t move, both breathing in the smell of sweat and sex, Cedric’s hand reaching out to hold Harry’s.

        Time passed. Cedric’s neighbor could be heard walking around above them, their footsteps shuffling, dragging. Harry tried to say something, an unintelligible mumble coming out instead. Cedric seemed to get it though, as he gave Harry’s hand a squeeze before pulling back and out. Harry let his legs fall off of Cedric’s shoulders. He didn’t want to move.

        But come was drying on his stomach. He still had to brush his teeth. The bed dipped as Cedric stood up, condom off and knotted in hand. Harry sighed, forcing himself to roll over towards the edge of the bed. Cedric came back before he could stand, holding a warm damp washcloth. He ran it over Harry’s body, wiping the come away as Harry rested his head against Cedric’s clavicle.

        “I don’t wanna get up…”

        “So don’t,” was Cedric’s reply, soft and caring and loving and…

        All Cedric.

        Cedric threw the washcloth into the hamper, picking up his and Harry’s clothes from the floor to do the same. He separated the belts to put them on top of his dresser, opening one of the drawers to grab a new pair of underwear.

        He came back over, boxers on, holding a pair of sleep pants for Harry. Harry smiled, lifting a foot up as Cedric kneeled to be dressed. They were too long, Cedric was taller than him, but they were soft and comfortable. They were Cedric’s.

        His glasses went on the bedside table. The covers were pulled back. Cedric fluffed the pillows before laying back, lifting an arm up for Harry to scoot under. Harry did so, pressing into Cedric’s side with an arm slung around Cedric’s middle, a leg hitched over Cedric’s to press his toes against Cedric’s calf.

        “Nox.”

        The lights went out, bathing the room in darkness. Snow still fell outside, the curtains cracked open the smallest bit to see it flutter by. Cedric’s palm rested against the back of Harry’s neck, carding his fingers through Harry’s hair as if he were petting a cat.

        “My sock is still on,” Harry whispered, not wanting to break the, dare he think, magic that had fallen over the room.

        Cedric’s hand stopped moving as he took in Harry’s tone of voice, his mouth pressing against Harry’s temple in a kiss. He was smiling.

        “That it is.”

        “I blame you.”

        “Will you ever forgive me?” Cedric asked.

        “Keep cuddling me and you’ll be golden.”

        Cedric, as if to say yes, kissed Harry’s temple again as his hand started running through Harry’s hair again, “I did promise, didn’t I?”

        “Mm…”

        “I hope my lack of abs helps with this endeavor.”

        “Oh, it is. Very much so,” Harry turned his head, his ear now resting over Cedric’s heart. “It’s the perfect pillow for my boney elbow.”

_Thud-thud._

        Cedric didn’t respond to the quip. His chest rose and fell.

_Thud-thud. Thud-thud._

        “I love you so much.”

_Thud-thud._

        Harry sniffed, his hand meeting Cedric’s free one almost on instinct as tears threatened to well out of his eyes. A year, a year and three months, and Cedric had poured his heart out to fill Harry to the brim.

 _I love you too_ did not even begin to cover what Harry felt for Cedric, but what else could he say?

        “Thank you for being in my life Harry.”

        A tear fell onto Cedric’s chest.

_Thud-thud._

        “Thank you for everything.”

        And another.

        Harry, choked up, squeezed Cedric’s hand.

        “You’re the light of my life.”

_Thud-thud._

        And, suddenly, Harry knew.

        “And you’re the deer to my stag.”

        The snow continued to fall, coating the world in white. Cedric, eyes wet, and Harry, falling apart with love and longing, finally feeling fully healed, fell asleep.

_Thud-thud._

        …

        “Aim slightly above your target; you need to take recoil into account!” Harry called out from the middle of the room. Shouts, nods, and grunts of affirmation answered him back, one Gryffindor rolling their eyes.

        Harry mentally made a note to keep an eye on them, resuming his walk around now practicing students.

        “Aqua erecto!”

        A moderately strong jet of water flew past Harry’s head.

        “Fantastic form Marcel, keep it up!”

        Dueling club met twice a week this semester, on Tuesdays and Fridays at seven in the evening. The last hour each Friday was reserved for fifth year students and above to be able to work on advanced spells and dueling techniques alongside extra defense or charmwork, depending on whether it was Harry or Filius who chose to stay once the younger years left.

        Minerva had approved the club during Harry’s second semester of teaching about three years prior, Filius aiding him with the influx of students as word caught on it was helpful and fun, not boring as many had feared.

        Harry wasn’t a hard grader, per se, but he had expectations for his students he wanted them to reach. No one thought he was impossible. His classes weren’t walks in the park either. The dueling club was typically more relaxed, high energy with tips Harry didn’t always get to in class.

        An old classroom no longer used had been repurposed for the club, the doors locked and warded when not in use. Dueling tournaments occurred at the end of each grading period divided up by year, the champion winning points for their house.

        The students enjoyed it, and with very few incidents over the few years it had been going Harry hoped it would stick around, even long after he was gone.

        It was getting towards the end of the allotted time, Harry’s wristwatch reading 9:12 when he checked, so he began to walk towards the front of the room. Students, not paying him any mind, kept trading spells back and forth at each other and at targets set up strategically earlier in the lesson.

        Harry cast a sonorous charm before whistling with his fingers almost immediately gaining everyone’s attention. As per Harry’s rules, no more wands were waved as everyone’s hands dropped to their sides heads turning to face where Harry was standing.

        He canceled the charm before speaking, “You’ve all done very well tonight. I know for some of you OWL and NEWT students being here might seem like the wrong choice, since mock exams are coming up in a few weeks, but you’ll do fine. And this was all excellent review, so when you get the question about the relashio jinx you’ll know exactly what it does.”

        Someone, most likely Flannery judging by the hair Harry could see,  raised their hand towards the back.

        “Before you ask; no, that is not an official confirmation of what may or may not be on your mock examination. That would be unprofessional on my part and you all know how much of a rule follower I am,” Harry shrugged at the end, laughter sounding out from most of his students because he certainly was not.

        “Anyways, I’d like to go over what we’ve done and answer any last questions you all may have-”

        “I have a question.”

        Harry was interrupted before he could even finish, an expectant look coming to his face as Samuel, the one who had rolled his eyes earlier, finally spoke up.

        “All right, ask away.”

        “Why did we go over the aqua erecto charm for so long? We all managed to cast it within the first few minutes of reviewing it, and we also learned aguamenti at least before our fifth year. It seemed tedious and a time waster to me,” he frowned, crossing his arms. “I understand how it could help us put out fires and stuff, but isn’t twenty minutes overkill? I have mock exams to study for, as you already stated: why waste my time so we can all essentially play in some overpowered sprinklers?”

        Harry smiled, one of the students off to his left wincing as though she knew what was going to happen.

        “I’d like you all to remember that this club is not required. While it can help supplement, and even go beyond class work, you do not need to show up to every meeting,” he paused, moving forwards while motioning for others to move back. “And, I can demonstrate how and why the charm is helpful if you’d allow me.”

        Samuel nodded, moving forward so they were about fifteen feet apart.

        “Fantastic. Standard dueling rules apply. You can fire off the first spell,” Harry offered, his wand meeting his hand on command.

        Samuel, clearly not expecting that, fumbled for his own wand as the others surrounding the two took a few more steps back.

        “Ready when you are.”

        Samuel took in a breath before raising his wand. Silence hung for a few moments before he shouted, “Deprimo!”

        Harry, on instinct, moved to the side to avoid the crushing force that caused the ends of his robe to slap into the floor as they trailed behind, ducking underneath an expelliarmus before lunging forwards.

        “Aqua erecto!”

        A fast-moving stream of water poured from his wand straight at Samuel with a force that sent the sixteen-year-old hurtling backward with a shout. He landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him and his school robes soaked.

        “O-oh Merlin, it’s fr-freezing! Fuck!”

        Harry put his wand back into its holster, walking over to offer a hand to Samuel who looked as though he was trying to stop his teeth from chattering. He took Harry’s offered hand, limbs shaky as he was pulled back up.

        “If you learn control and use intent with the charm, you can influence the temperature of the water and how powerfully it flows. It can be used defensively to distract and move someone with cold water, or offensively if you manage to make it boil.”

        He cast a drying then a warming charm on Samuel, patting him on the shoulder.

        “I’m obviously not going to boil a student’s skin off, so cold water it was,” he paused, looking out at everyone, “And if I catch wind of any of you firing boiling water at a classmate you will serve detention with me until the end of the year. Non-living targets only. Am I clear?”

        Scattered yes’s was the answer he was given, Samuel nodding as quickly as possible.

        “Then we have no problems. Have a good weekend. I’ll see some of you in class on Monday. Good work today,” he finally dismissed them just as his watch beeped out to signal it was 9:30.

        Shouted farewells and goodbyes filled the air as students grabbed bags, if they brought them, before leaving in droves towards their common rooms. Samuel looked embarrassed, some of his friends sticking around towards the door waiting for him to leave.

        “Sorry for, uh, saying that. I didn’t realize it could be used like you showed us.”

        “It’s fine. If you knew that, then I wouldn’t need to teach,” Harry reassured. “Your questions here, and in class, always lead to some good examples and discussions, even if you sometimes don’t think before you speak.”

        Samuel didn’t know how to respond to that.

        “I wasn’t exactly a perfect student either, as I’m sure you’ve heard. Now go, you have the weekend to study and relax. Next semester you’ll be worried about job placement and graduation.”

        Samuel finally put his wand back into his robe pocket.

        “Thanks.”

        “Come on Sam! Party starts at ten!”

        “See you on Monday professor,” Samuel finally spoke his farewell, jogging over to the others who now made their way out of the room.

        Silence fell upon the room with no one else but Harry left to clean up. Targets and test dummies were lined back against the wall farthest from the door and any damage done to the floor was repaired. With everything seeming to be in order, Harry nodded to himself before grabbing his satchel.

        It was full of essays to grade as well as some of his personal items he took back and forth between his rooms in the castle and the house he and Cedric had bought in Hogsmeade the previous summer.

        He smiled at the thought, picturing cream-colored walls stacked with moving photographs and the kitchen with faded birds painted on the ceiling. Some of the floorboards creaked and there was a draft from the small bathroom window, but it was home.

        It had plenty of room to fly brooms in the backyard, and an extra bedroom was open to guests since Teddy had begged to have his room in the expanded attic. (“It has a window seat _and_ a built-in wall shelf! Please, please, _please-_ ”) He’d lived with Harry at Hogwarts for most of the year, for the past few years, since Andromeda died, but since he and Cedric were steady Harry saw no problem in allowing Teddy to switch back and forth between the two on a whim during the school year.

        Harry locked the door leading into the dueling room before casting warding spells over the lock, door, and wall, once again changing them up so no one would be able to get in without Harry’s magical signature. It was a precaution the professors had to take so students wouldn’t duel without supervision. Well, at least not in the dueling room itself.

        He made his way downstairs, the halls mostly empty this late at night. Some portraits waved hello. Some had occupants who were already asleep. He was close to the front entrance when he heard footsteps, pausing to look around and see who was out so close to curfew.

        Neville, a book tucked under one of his shoulders, came from the direction of the Great Hall, his hair more ruffled than usual.

        “Harry, heading home for the weekend?”

        “I am. I figured I’d walk back home, see if Teddy would be asleep like he’s supposed to be or would’ve convinced Cedric to let him stay up since I’m coming home again.”

        Neville smiled at that, knowing it as something Teddy would try to do. He’d done so multiple times already in the past.

        “Well, if he is awake, you’ll get to tuck him in. It’s not too much longer until he starts his first year here,” Neville paused as Harry’s eyes went wistful, “Went by fast, huh? Hannah and I don’t have any kids yet, but-”

        Neville was interrupted before he could continue by Cedric’s patronus bursting into the room through the wall. It circled around him and Harry, Cedric’s voice sounding out, “Harry, sorry to send such an abrupt message, but something’s happened at the parlor. Could you come here first? Thanks.”

        The patronus dissipated into the air, its blue glow fading shortly after. Harry felt fear bleed into his lungs, his eyes unblinking as he processed what Cedric said. Neville shifted, his previously calm face hardened.

        “Go. He didn’t seem overly panicked, but he wouldn’t send a patronus for nothing.”

        Harry nodded, quickly calculating whether returning to his own rooms to floo out of the castle would be faster or if running past the wards and apparating out would be. He chose the later, his wand in his hand as he ran passed Neville, down the steps, outside, and into the brisk night air. He ran as fast as he could, his legs burning when he finally went under the gates and out of bounds of Hogwarts’ wards.

        He apparated abruptly, a loud snap following his departure as well as his arrival on Diagon Alley. Few people were walking along the main road. Harry paid them no mind as he sped towards the ice cream parlor, his panic lessening at the undisturbed storefront.

        The windows were blacked out, the door closed, and nothing could be heard inside. Harry swallowed, slowly opening the door as quietly as possible. No lights were on inside. He couldn’t see Cedric.

        Harry took a step inside, letting the door close behind him with a soft click. Nothing happened. Not at first. There was a shift, and suddenly a candle lit. Then another, and another, and another. They glowed softly, making a path towards the booth in the back corner. Theirs.

        Cedric, looking nervous, stood off to the side as one candle after the other lit up on and around the table, casting warm shadows on his face.

        “Hi Harry.”

        Harry felt his bag drop from his shoulder as he took a step towards the other. His wand, still clenched in his hand, seemed cold.

        “I thought…”

        “Teddy is over at Molly’s for the night-”

        Harry had made his way across the room to the other, shoving him back in anger.

        “I thought something had happened! I thought you were hurt, or, or…”

        He couldn’t continue, his hands starting to shake as the adrenaline that had been powering him eased. Cedric tried to put a hand on Harry’s shoulder, but he pulled back Cedric’s hand falling uselessly to his side.

        “I am so sorry, I didn’t think-”

        “Clearly you didn’t.”

        Silence.

        Harry inhaled, swallowing spit as he tried not to tear up in frustration. Cedric only sighed, taking a few steps forward so he could bring Harry towards his front in a hug. He didn’t hug back, but he didn’t push Cedric away.

        Harry felt Cedric’s lips pressed against the crown of his head, warm fingers rubbing at his back and shoulders. The candles burned on, reflecting off of silver domes covering parts of the table.

        “I didn’t mean to make you worry Harry, I had a whole thing planned out for us. A date. I wanted you to come here before going home, but I should have worded my patronus message differently or sent a letter earlier in the week,” Cedric pulled back, bringing his hands up to cup Harry’s face. “I won’t do this again. I apologize for what I did and I hope you can forgive me.”

        Harry put one of his hands on Cedric’s check, the other rubbing at Cedric’s knuckles atop his own face. He turned his head, still holding Cedric’s hand, to give the palm a kiss.

        “Of course I forgive you Cedric.”

        And Cedric smiled in relief, pulling Harry in for a short kiss. Then another.

        “Love you.”

        As always, Harry felt warmth at his cheeks and butterflies in his stomach at the easy declaration of affection. Cedric said it all the time. He’d get this look in his eyes, as if they’d soften out of adoration, and he’d let slightly gapped teeth peak out as he smiled and told Harry ‘I love you.’

        It was special. Every time. No matter what the time or where they were or what they were doing. It was the love Harry didn’t get for eleven years, the love Cedric now showered him with.

        “Love you too, big idiot.”

        Cedric laughed at that, breathy and quiet.

        “You said Teddy’s at Molly’s?” Harry finally asked, letting a hand tangle with Cedric's between them.

        “Yes. She has him tonight and for however long we need in the morning.”

        Harry felt his brows shoot up, “Are we going somewhere after this?”

        “Well, not anywhere different or anything, but, um,” Cedric’s smile turned nervous, eyes darting to the still lit table, “How about we see how dinner goes first.”

        “Okay. We can do that.”

        Cedric’s relief was tangible as he led Harry the few steps forward to the booth seat, keeping Harry’s hand in firm grasp as he helped the other sit down. After Cedric sat down himself, the candles flickered. Cedric put one of the domes in front of Harry, the metallic surface reflecting each burning wick almost whimsically.

        He took the dome off of the table to reveal a bowl of steaming soup with accompanying bread rolls.

        “You cooked us dinner?” Harry finally asked.

        “Yes. I know you’ve already eaten at Hogwarts, so it’s light, but I wanted this to be special.”

        He was still nervous. Harry tucked a napkin against his leg, surveying the dish in the dim light.

        “Cream of mushroom?”

        “I know it’s a favorite of yours,” was the explanation.

        It was, and it was delicious. Harry ate all of it, despite eating a full meal only hours before, as well as the entree Cedric had prepared (chicken with spinach noodles) and two glasses of white wine. Cedric’s nerves came and went, Harry complimenting him on his cooking whenever possible to, hopefully, ease them. Cedric didn’t cook too often if only because he thought Harry made better food.

        It finally came to dessert, and Harry wanted to at least try to eat it, but he was stuffed.

        Cedric came back to their table with one final dome covered plate, probably intending it to be shared between them. He set it down on the table, closer to Harry, before finally taking a seat. Nervous, again.

        “So, before you open that one, I’d like to say a few things.”

        Harry blinked.

        “I asked you here for a reason. And to this table for a reason,” Cedric began, causing Harry to laugh a bit.

        “It’s our table. As if I’d eat anywhere else in here.”

        Cedric smiled, seeing the humor in it too, long since grown accustomed to Teddy’s claim.

        “Of course. It’s where I finally asked you out-”

        “Where I said yes.”

        “Where you said yes. And then we had our first date, and I thought it was going to be a disaster. I’d had a crush on you for a long time before finally asking that big question, and I didn’t want to disappoint you. But it worked out. It worked, we worked, and you asked me on another date and we planned the next one during that one. You let me leave my toothbrush at your apartment and you cooked for me, you let me into your life. Merlin, we have a house. And Teddy stopped calling me Mister Diggory years ago- I said I love you on accident for the first time Harry, I had wanted it to be special but it slipped out and you lit up so brightly I promised myself I’d tell you that every day until…”

        Cedric barely breathed, he kept talking and talking, making Harry feel choked up and teary-eyed the longer he kept going.

        “Until the end, if you’d let me, but. Shit, I haven’t gotten there yet,” Cedric took in a deep breath, making up for lost oxygen, straining for something Harry couldn’t name. “Look, tomorrow is the anniversary of when you kicked me down in the market. It’s when we really started talking again, when I had hope that maybe this could be a reality someday, and I think about it every year the day passes. I know it’s probably more embarrassing for you than anything else, but every now and then I catch myself thinking ‘I really wish I could have kept that bruise.’”

        “Cedric, I will start crying I swear to fucking-”

        “I love you Harry, I really, really do, and I wanted to tell you that. I want to keep telling you that. Forever, so. You can cry if you want, you know I do my fair share of it too, but I’d like you to open the serving tray first.”

        Harry tried to blink back tears, sniffing once and wiping at one of his eyes while grasping the handle at the top. He lifted it up only to see a pink elephant.

        It was paler since the first, and only time, he saw it, the color fading over the years. The eyes were still bright blue, buttons gleaming under the light of the candles. Harry let out a watery laugh, letting his fingers curl around the body of the stuffed animal.

        “You bought it- oh. I saw this back then and wanted to give it to Teddy, since he was only two at the time,” Harry paused lifting it up, “I’m sure he’d still love it. I forgot about the elephant until the day after we talked and by the time I went back it was already gone. You held onto it for this long?”

        “I actually was going to give it to you much, much earlier, but I missed placed it then found it again when we moved and figured I’d save it until now.”

        “Why now? You could have done it on any anniversary you sappy-”

        Harry, who’d been gesturing with the elephant, went silent as something hit the table. It was a small ping, as if something had fallen off of the plush, but both eyes were still on it. He looked to the table, thinking it could have been a button from his shirt sleeve only to have the breath knocked out of him.

        A ring, gold with engravings etched on the side, sat on the table between the two men. Cedric was quiet, watching as Harry took it in.

        Harry was crying at full force, picking the ring up in a shaky hand. It was gorgeous. Simple. Just his size.

        “I measured your finger while you were asleep a few months ago, when you passed out on the couch after one of Ginny’s Harpies games. My mom helped me pick out the design-”

        “Cedric, you-”

        “Harry, will you marry me?”

        He stared at Cedric, unable to form words. Harry, instead, roughly stood up. His legs his the table, pushing it more in Cedric’s direction, a candle falling to the floor and snuffing out with a wet slap from the melting wax. He rounded the table grabbing Cedric’s face, then his neck, and pulling him upwards and forwards to kiss him.

        It was the best kiss of his life.

        Harry kissed Cedric over and over again, crying all the while. Cedric’s hands came up to tangle in Harry’s hair,a smile wobbling on his lips.

        “Yes, fuck; yes I’ll marry you,” Harry spoke in a rush, pressing a kiss to Cedric’s lips after every word, “You sappy bastard, asking me to marry you here- you asked me to marry you.”

        It occurred to Harry, they’d get married. He would marry Cedric and they’d hyphenate their names and grow old in their house together, falling in love over and over and over again. Forever.

        Until the end.

        A fresh wave of tears started at that, Cedric clinging to Harry as much as Harry was to him.

        “And you said yes.”

        The candles flickered. Harry gave a wet laugh, pulling back as Cedric tugged the ring from his grasp to slide it on Harry’s finger.

        “How could I say no?”

        …

        Harry waking up to a completely silent house was the calm before the storm. He’d kicked the light blanket Cedric had thrown over the two of them the previous night off so one foot stuck out at the bottom. One of Cedric’s hands rested against the small of his back. His face was crushed up against one too many pillows, since he’d seemingly stolen Cedric’s pillow out from underneath his head again.

        It was perfect. It was home.

        He smiled, shifting so he could roll over partially, Cedric’s hand sliding from his back, to his hip, then to the still warm bedspread. On his side, Harry watched Cedric sleep, his chest rising and falling with one deep breath after another.

        They were warm, and Cedric had given himself a day off, so Harry let his eyes fall closed intending to get a bit more sleep. He reached down to lace his and Cedric’s fingers together, smiling softly on the edge of wakefulness.

        The door opened silently.

        Tiptoeing feet avoided every creaky floorboard and made it to the carpet sticking out from under the bed.

        Harry’s eyes shot open as a heavyweight launched itself onto his side, Teddy’s laughter sounding out loud and bright at what was no doubt a ridiculous expression.

        “Good morning!”

        Harry let himself relax, reaching a hand up to ruffle Teddy’s hair. It was blue, his favorite color lately.

        “Morning boy wonder.”

        No greeting from Cedric.

        Harry glanced over to see Cedric still asleep, or _faking_ to be asleep.

        “Time to wake up Ced.”

        Still no response.

        “Cedric, you’ve gotta get up so you can help us make breakfast and ride your broom with me,” Teddy spoke, crawling a bit to shake Cedric by the shoulder and arm.

        He was fighting back a smile, but Teddy didn’t notice.

        “Harry, he’s not waking up.”

        This took every ounce of Harry’s control, “I think he’s starting to.”

        Sure enough, Cedric made a small groan at the back of his throat, as if he’d just started to grouse up enough energy to wake.

        “Cedric?”

        There it was, Teddy’s fatal mistake. He leaned over to look at Cedric’s face, taking no notice of the arms that quickly wrapped around Teddy in a hug with a loud raspberry pressed against his neck.

        “I’ve got you now!”

        “No!”

        Teddy squealed out in laughter, kicking as Cedric goosed his sides before finally letting go to place Teddy back down between himself and Harry. Harry was grinning, his lips stretching wide into a smile as Teddy immediately moved towards Harry’s lap.

        “Save me,” Teddy spoke only after he’d wrapped his arms around Harry’s middle.

        “I think you’re safe from the tickle monster until the next time you wake Cedric up on his day off,” Harry teased, fighting off the urge to laugh at Teddy’s pout.

        “You two said we’d do breakfast and go flying today though.”

        “It doesn’t have to happen right at this moment, it’s barely morning-” Cedric was interrupted before he could finish by Teddy who chimed in, rather smugly:

        “It’s actually almost ten, and I promised Scorp I’d be over to visit at two!”

        Harry felt his eyebrows shot up.

        “Oh fuck.”

        Teddy gasped.

        “You didn’t ask permission!”

        Cedric, looking as if he was ready to begin an assault on Teddy’s sides once again, spurred Harry to finally move. Pressing a kiss against the top of Teddy’s head he made to get up.

        “Cedric has blanket permission Teddy. So, you get out the eggs and Cedric and I will be in the kitchen in ten minutes or less. Deal?”

        Teddy thought it over, hair changing to a light lilac then a peach.

        “Deal.”

        Teddy soon jumped out of their bed, running out of the room and down the hall towards the kitchen. As soon as he was gone Harry flopped back over with a groan.

        “How is it already ten?” he asked Cedric with an over the top whisper.

        Cedric cracked a smile, “You mean almost ten?”

        “You know what I mean.”

        “Mmm…”

        A cabinet opened and closed in the kitchen, followed by a drawer.

        School had already let out for the year, which left Harry with days filled with helping Teddy finish his summer homework (he had finished his first year already!), lending a hand at Cedric’s parlor (which, Cedric always jokingly remarked, increased sales even further), and manning the register at the joke shop (he’d yet to be pranked once). Sunday dinner still happened at the Burrow, with a few more people thrown into the mix as families grew, and he and Cedric tried to do one date night a month.

        Life had a pattern, relaxing and comforting and everything Harry hadn’t known he wanted.

        “Draco’s keeping him for the night?” Cedric asked, now propped up against the headboard.

        “Yes. Scorpius wants to see his favorite cousin since Hogwarts is finally out.”

        “Aren’t they second cousins?” Cedric asked, fully well knowing the answer.

        “They are, but Scorpius is three and you need to stop asking me that when you know the answer, you sod.”

        ( _‘Harry, can I visit Draco and Astoria?’_

 _‘Any reason why?’_ Harry had asked, years ago, curious.

_‘I know you don’t like’em, or it’s complicated or whatever, but it’s super important.’_

_‘Teddy, that isn’t it. I know they’ve sent you Yuletide and birthday letters since you three met. I want to know why you want to see them.’_

_‘I got a letter this morning, from Draco, and you’re invited too since I can’t go alone.’_

        Harry smiled amusedly, _‘Still not answering the question.’_

_‘Oh! Astoria had her baby, and I want to meet my cousin.’_

        Right. Ginny had mentioned a few months prior seeing Astoria and Draco shopping together, the former pregnant at the time.

_‘His name is Scorpius, like the constellation, and I want to meet him.’_

_‘Of course, yes; we can do that. But, can I see that letter?’_ )

        “Someone’s grouchy.”

        “I’m tired, sue me.”

        Cedric hummed amusedly, leaning down to press a kiss to Harry’s forehead, then his lips.

        “Hopefully breakfast will wake you up then.”

        “The breakfast I have to make-”

        “That we will all make together-”

        “- out of bed where I am so comfortable?” Harry continued on as if he hadn’t been interrupted.

        “How are you a teacher again?” Cedric asked, trying not to laugh at Harry’s dramatics.

        “I’m in bed by ten on a school night if I can help it, that’s how.”

        “Mister responsible.”

        “Mister kiss me again or I will go back asleep and leave you alone with a pancake craving Teddy.”

        Harry cracked open an eye to see Cedric roll his, complying all the same by pressing a kiss to Harry’s mouth. Cedric’s cheeks were covered in stubble, rough to the touch, but Harry was soon smiling, threading his fingers through Cedric’s hair to keep him close. Had he been a cat, he’d be purring.

        “Have I satisfied your whims?”

        “For now.”

        One more kiss, then Cedric finally shifted and stood up. He stretched his arms above his head, spine cracking, before moving towards the ensuite bathroom. Harry remained still for a few moments longer, basking in the buzz on his lips and warmth in his heart.

        He sat up before long though, a yawn making him pause before grabbing his glasses. They rested on top of the yarn elephant, the bridge being held by the trunk. The world (the bedroom) came into focus, making Harry smile at the picture of Teddy in his Hogwarts’ robes.

        ( _‘I told you he’d be Hufflepuff.’_

_‘ I never doubted it.’_

        It had made Cedric pause, looking over from the letter Teddy had sent him earlier in the week.

_‘He’s so much like his mom it’s unreal. She was a Hufflepuff too.’_

_‘She was?’_

_‘Yeah. I forgot you never really got to meet Tonks. I think I have a picture of her from her seventh year that Andromeda kept-’_ )

        It was right next to his and Cedric’s wedding photo, the two of them in robes with a veil almost falling off of Cedric’s head. It had been windy, and he’d only worn it as a joke. They were holding hands, smiling at the camera before turning heads to smile at each other, forever on loop.

        ( _‘We can’t let the press take any full body photos.’_

_‘Why not?’_

        Harry grinned, _‘Your arse looks way too good in that getup, and I’m only wearing one sock.’_

        Cedric laughed, laughed and laughed and laughed. Had to put his champagne flute down to hold his stomach, _‘Why?’_ was all he managed to choke out.

_‘Call it a new tradition.’_

_‘Merlin I love you.’_

_‘You know you married me and not Merlin right?’_ Harry teased, watching as Cedric cracked up all over again.

_‘You’re insufferable!’_

_‘You’re stuck with me.’_

_‘That I am, that I am.’_ )

        Cedric looked over from shaving as Harry came into the bathroom to stand next to him, now with a shirt. They did their morning absolutions in the comfort of quiet, Harry finishing his quick toothpaste absent brush as Cedric patted down his face.

        “Strawberry pancakes and then we can try to convince Teddy being a seeker is better than being a beater?” Harry asked, his back facing the mirror while leaning against the edge of the sink.

        “A plan I approve of.”

        “I got us reservations at that place you wanted to try for tonight.”

        Cedric smiled, delighted, “The one off of the open market?”

        “The very same.”

        Before Cedric could respond, a loud crash followed by the shattering of glass sounded from the kitchen. Harry froze up for a moment, waiting to hear if Teddy was hurt from falling. No noise followed.

        “Teddy, don’t move! I don’t want you to cut yourself!”

        “Permission to swear?” was Teddy’s answer, called back through the house.

        He huffed a laugh.

        “Granted!” he shouted back.

        “Fuck!”

        Bringing it back down the normal volume, Harry said, “Well, guess we have to fix my mixing bowl first.”

        He turned to leave, only to be stopped by Cedric grabbing him from behind. His arms wrapped around to Harry’s front pressing his chin over the top of Harry’s head.

        “I know I don’t say it enough, but I love you.”

        (That was a lie. Cedric told him that every day, every morning when they woke up and every night as they went to bed. He’d say it against Harry’s skin, stumble through it as he laughed, mumble it as he cried with adoration in his eyes.

        When Harry left to go back to Hogwarts.

        On their wedding day, over and over again.

        From the balcony of his old apartment.

        After every round of sex.

        Behind the counter scooping ice cream.

        In a howler delivered during dinner.

        With every patronus he cast.

_‘I love you.’_

_I love you._

        I love you.)

        Harry smiled, happy.

        “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY!! After 18 months and 75 pages, this fic is finished. Done. Posted. I promised a happy hedric fic at the end of my last one, Spare Dreams (which was posted a little less than two years ago now, holy shit), but I kept getting busy. First with senior year of high school, then with writer's block, and again with my first year at college. Finals are in a week and I'll be moving out of my dorm in less than two; it's honestly all surreal. It's been a long, winding road that's finally ended here. It isn't perfect, but I hope you all enjoy.
> 
> This was originally inspired by, and named after, one of my favorite Hafiz poems titled "A Chance To Paint Each Other Gold." It's about true, and not often found, love with someone who makes your life and every experience that you have with them magical. It gave me so much inspiration to keep going and to finally finish this, as I love the potential dynamic Harry and Cedric can have. I cannot recommend it (the poem!) enough. In other news, I am still working on the monster my scorbus fic has transformed into and I am hoping to maybe write for TAZ one of these days. As is, I haven't posted a fic in over a year so I had to get something up.
> 
> If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Kudos, and comments especially, always make me smile!!


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